Dreams Unknown
by RedAlaina
Summary: OCxSilver, inspired by the tabletop campaign I'm currently playing. Ameythest the collector has finally achieved her dream after ten solid years of travelling and pokemon adventures. But when someone gives her a chance to help more than just herself, she finds that there is even more to life than just achieving the goals you've set.
1. Prologue: A Little About Her

**Prologue: A Little About Her**

The sun was shining, the wind was throwing a gentle, caressing breeze through the air, and the sweet sound of nature wafted through the air. Ameythest smiled widely, arms outstretched as she soaked in the beautifully wonderful summer day. "Oh it's so GORGEOUS out!" She proclaimed loudly to no-one in particular. Of course, no one else was around on the beaten path but her. She took in another deep breath, once again just enjoying her surroundings and the moment.

"Ameythest!" She heard her name being called, and spun around to meet the voice. Another woman bounded down the path the meet her. "Ameythest! It's nearly time to come back!" The second woman caught up with her, panting a bit. "Oh my. What are you doing all the way out here darling?"

"Enjoying the day!" Ameythest responded happily. "Oh it's so wonderful out. The Pokémon will have a fantastic time in the fields, I'm sure."

"If you get back in time to let them all out, that is." The taller woman crossed her arms sternly, giving her a sharp glare.

"Oh don't worry mother." Ameythest held up her shiny red and white poke ball, pressing the release button gently and allowing a huge dinosaur-like Pokémon appeared in front of them. "Tropius will fly us back." She patted the Pokémon gently, swinging herself onto the back of the large creature.

"Oh, darling you know how I hate flying!" Her mother cried.

"It's a short trip, surely you can handle it." She extended her hand to the taller woman, helping her get settled into the nest between Tropius's large, leaf-like wings. "Okay, Tropius, back home!" She patted the Pokémon's long neck affectionately, earning a short, affirmative roar from her partner. His long, leafy wings flapped strongly, bringing hard winds around its two riders. Ameythest laughed in delight, her cropped brown hair whipping about her face. Her mothers' arms were wrapped around her, and both ladies felt their hearts in their throats as the giant Pokémon lifted quickly into the air.

"WHOOHOO!" Ameythest shouted in absolute delight, the trees now several feet below them. What was a good hour walk was a short five-minute flight, and she grinned as she saw her house come into view amongst the trees. Stealing a glance a head of her she spotted the buildings of Mauville, cut into the forest like a giant puzzle piece out of place. "Land in the clearing, Tropius!" She shouted against the wind, and tightened her ground around her partners' neck as he swerved in the air to aim for the enormous fenced-off clearing behind her modest home. Ameythest surveyed the land from her birds-eye view, nodding in satisfaction at the way the clearing was sectioned off, rock formations and small lakes built in strategic places. The harsh wind lightened to a cool, soft, breeze as Tropius slowed and began to land. The Pokémon made an unceremonious THUMP as he landed, stomping his front foot once and huffing a bit. Ameythest helped her mother down first, as the other woman's legs had seemed to turn to jelly. "You all right, mom?" She laughed.

"I don't like flying." Was the curt response. "But we do have work to do."

Ameythest nodded, hopping down from Tropius's back and petting her friend as he leaned down his head to nuzzle her. "Thanks buddy." She smiled, a recalled it back into its poke ball. As she did that, she noticed that a Blissey was running towards them, arms waving as it chanted its name.

"Blis-sey. Blis-sey. Blis-sey, Bliss!" The singsong voice made Ameythest giggle. "Hello Carela." She greeted the Pokémon with a big hug. "Everyone all right? Are we ready to open?"

"Blis~sey!" Carela nodded affirmatively, and waddled off.

Ameythest looked around as she noticed more and more people starting to show up for work. Opening gates, putting Pokémon in their proper fenced-in areas, and putting food out for them. "Scizor!" She called loudly, and watched the area for the bright-red steel Pokémon. The harsh voice of Pokémon came from west of her, and she turned her head slightly to see the Pokémon hover in, landing next to her and falling in step. "Wanna open with me?"

As a response, the Pokémon made an affirmative sound, buzzing its wings and crossing its arms, bringing them down quickly as if to say 'ready'.

They walked to the front of the large clearing where a large gate stood, a small crowd having gathered in front, blocking quite a bit of route 117. Ameythest walked briskly through the entrance stalls, and pulled a large key from her pocket, unlocking the padlock on the gate and letting it fall to the ground, her Scizor picking up the heavy hunk of metal swiftly.

"Ladies and gentleman!" Ameythest beamed, feeling pride swell in her chest as she spoke. "Welcome, to the Pokémon Route Walk Zoo!"


	2. Life of Dreams

**Chapter 1: Life of Dreams**

"Phew." Ameythest collapsed onto the couch, exhausted from the long, dragging day. "So many people came…"

"Well, yes." Her mother answered from the kitchen. She had busied herself with making a quick meal, considering the late hour. "Ameythest…don't you think you've bitten off a bit more than you can chew with this?"

The young woman lying on the couch chewed on her cheek, mulling over the thought. "Eh. Probably."

She could almost hear the smile on her moms face.

"But that doesn't matter much does it?!" She swung herself into a sitting position, giving her mother a look of fierce determination from over the couch. "It's a dream that I've made myself and now I can live in it. Sure I'm exhausted, but I love doing it."

Her mother sighed, deflated. "Well I still say you need a break."

"I'll take a break. Sometime." She paused, as if a random thought had just entered her head and she was debating whether to blurt it out or not. "I'll be right back." She jumped off the couch, running out the door.

Outside, she took a look around at the now empty paths that weaved around the fences and areas. Some bits of litter still lay about, but that would have to wait until morning, as sun has been set for some time. She made her way to the edge of the clearing, where a large wooden building sat nearly hidden under the trees. The enormous building of stalls and shelter held every single Pokémon during the night. She smiled, ducking through the door as the last of the night shift was scuttling around with Pokémon food. Ameythest grabbed and handful of the food and meandered around the stalls, all spacious and wide to accommodate the Pokémon. She always made sure her Pokémon were comfortable. She turned to one stall that had been coated with mareep wool, and smiled at the electric Pokémon that had made beds for themselves and already snuggled in for a good nights' rest. The Pikachu family stayed here, and one in particular, looking half asleep, perked its spiky ears at it recognized a scent. Sniffing, it wobbled over to the edge of the stall, and Ameythest reached down to pick up the creature. "Hello Redchu." She smiled, touching noses with the sleepy mouse.

"Piiiika!" Redchu exclaimed, imitating a cute little laugh.

Ameythest gave the little mouse a hug, petting it lovingly. This Pikachu had an odd, reddish-orange coat in comparison to its species normal vivid yellow. "Good night, Redchu." She said, placing the mouse back down gently. It lie down in its own little bed of soft wool, little sparks flaring from the material. Ameythest strolled through the long building, checking most of the stalls almost automatically. Every single Pokémon she had caught or traded for herself. Most were comfortable like this, being taken care of and having warm blankets or wool to sleep on. Others, however…

She frowned, exiting the far end of the barn-like structure to look up on another somewhat large house. Normally you would approach the door and knock to enter a house, but she found, unsurprisingly, that the door was suddenly opened for her.

"Ameythest." Stated a rather slow and dopey voice.

"Hello Sloking." Ameythest entered the house, which was more a series of hallways and medium sized rooms. "How is everyone tonight?"

"Oh, fine." He replied, pausing for no reason. He tilted his head slowly, ever so slowly, and once it was at the right angle for him he continued. "And you?"

"Tired." She responded honestly. "But I'd like to check on our work."

"They're in the front room." Sloking pointed, and turned to lead.

Ameythest followed him across the room and to the next. A Reinculus, Gardevoir, and Wobbufet sat in the middle of the mostly white room, obviously concentrating. The Gardevoir opened its eyes, flowing out of its seat as Alakazam took its place. She looked tired, but the Pokémon's face brightened when she saw Ameythest.

"Hi." The trainer smiled a greeting. They hugged, and Ameythest glanced at the three Pokémon who were in concentration. "So how's the night shift barrier looking?"

Gardevoir gently placed the tip of its light, flowing arm on her forehead, and spoke telepathically. "Solid, as usual. Nothing will get to us without you knowing."

"Goody!" Ameythest smiled in return. "Can't have anyone trying to steal any of you. I'd be heartbroken."

"Of course, master Ameythest. And this is such great exercise. My mind has never felt so calm."

The trainer nodded modestly, gently lifting the Pokémon's hand and holding it gingerly. "I care for all of you, and I am happy that you choose to stay by my side rather than leave. Thank you for the protection." She turned to the three sitting in the middle of the room, raising her voice. "Thank you very much!"

She felt psychic ripples hit her mind, nothing new to her, but could easily read feelings of content and loyalty in her minds' eye. "Good night, everyone." She said contentedly, turning to retreat from the house.

* * *

The following day was more of the same. People bustling all over the zoo to get a good look at the enormous collection that one person had managed to bring together over the span of ten years.

Ameythest walked among the small crowds, more watching her Pokémon than the people. They did love the attention, happily running by the edge of the fences to make the kids squeal and laugh. All of the Pokémon in the zoo were personally tamed and raised by her, at least for some time. She made sure they were all happy and safe.

A bunch of 'ooh's' and 'aaah's' rang in her ears as she strolled along, and noticed that a large throng of people had gathered around the lake area. Suspicious of the cause, she rounded on the edge of the crowd and spotted her Sharpedo doing tricks in the water. She smiled at the spectacle. "You little troublemaker." The Sharpedo was specifically one of her favorite Pokémon; she had obtained him in a chance trade as a Carvanha. What caught her interest is that it was another Pokémon of a different color, its skin a bright purple instead of dark blue. She had a few of these 'shinies' in her collection of Pokémon, and it always seemed to draw people in the most. Well they want a show right? Why not give them one?

Ameythest hopped over the fence, her thin frame bounding easily up and over the tall ironworks as the crowds eyes drew their attention to her.

Multiple shocked exclamations rang from the crowd, her only acknowledgement to them a smirk on her face. "Sharpedo!" She called at the waters' edge, and the shark, recognizing its master, excitedly swam over to her. Most Sharpedo were violent and unruly, but hers was uncharacteristically so, mostly due to the immense amount of time she spent with it on her personal journeys. She jumped onto his back, the rough skin of the shark digging into her legs uncomfortably but nothing she wasn't used to. "And GO!" She gripped his top fin as the shark took off, swimming fast in the water. The crowd cheered in excitement, and Ameythest smirked cockily. "Sharpedo!" She called, and the shark growled anxiously, jumping a bit in the water before plunging down. Ameythest held her breath, the water stinging her face as she dove down, the pressure building in her ears from the speed more than the deep. She tightened her grip as the shark swerved underwater, shooting up as fast as it went down. They broke the surface with a loud crash, jumping high out of the water and Sharpedo found the force to do a full flip before the fell back down to the surface. Ameythest grip, however, had lost itself during the flip, and while her sharpedo plunged gracefully back into the water, Ameythest was flung away from the Pokémon, flying in the air with anything but grace and hitting the water at her backside with a painful smack. Fully clothed, she found it hard to push herself back to the surface, but wasn't far off from the shore and walked up the slope to breach the surface once again. She gasped for air, standing shoulder deep in the water, her sharpedo swimming around her eagerly.

She looked up, the crowd staring at her, some faces in shock, shock in worry, and others just plain dumbfounded. Stepping out of the water, sopping wet and dripping water into the sand, she laughed, overbearingly loud. "Well, that was fun! I hope you enjoyed the show everyone!" Waving a hand to the crowd, who clapped enthusiastically before beginning to disperse, she trudged forward, the weight of the wet clothes feeling like lead to her legs. She began to hoist herself over the fence once again but this time with much more difficulty. She finally cascaded over the edge, falling on her bottom with a plop. She grunted in discomfort, realizing people were probably staring at her. Then a gloved hand came into her view. A black gloved hand, offering itself to her. Surprised, she accepted the hand, mumbling a thanks and standing. Her eyes followed the length of the arm to see a man's face, an oddly stern look glowering at her.

For a moment, she was at a loss for words. She wasn't used to such a cold, steely glare. "Thanks?" She said it dumbly, like her mouth didn't want to say the word properly.

"Are you this accustomed to showing off?" His tone was gentler than his glare. It was an odd combination.

"Ah, not especially. But it was fun." She grinned wholeheartedly, and realized that she had not yet released the strangers had. In embarrassment she dropped it suddenly, her face falling. "Uhm. Sorry."

"You're fine." He averted his gaze, looking around at the different pens and Pokémon. "So. Is it true?"

"What's that?"

"All these Pokémon? You 'collected' them yourself?"

Ameythest paused, deciding to be careful with her words. "Are you here to tell me that my zoo is wrong?"

His eyes narrowed at her. Those sharp, cold, silver eyes. "The Pokémon seem happy enough out here. Where do they go at night?"

She giggled. "I like you!" She exclaimed, catching him off guard and his look softened. "You must really care, huh?"

"…I used to think Pokémon were tools. A means to…" He trailed off, shaking his head as if he was shaking off a bad memory. "Nevermind. But yes. I do care."

Ameythest tilted her head slightly, indicating her curiosity but saying something else. "Well if you're that interested, follow me." She strolled past him, stuffing her hands in her pockets and listening to the wet squishing sounds her shoes made with each step.

"Don't you want to dry off?" The strange man asked, falling in step next to her.

"Ah, the sun will take care of most of that, huh?" She replied, all too carefree about her current state of appearances.

"I suppose." They remained silent.

She glanced at him, watching him move his overbearing red hair out of his face. His hair was bright like a flame, long and neatly brushed. "If you don't like your hair in your face why don't you get it cut?"

His surprise was shown through another glare. "I like my hair, thanks."

"Well that's good. Better to be something you like than something you don't."

The man made the smallest of smiles, a sign of approval.

"There we are." Ameythest stated, pointing to her giant barn-like shelter. "It extends pretty far into the woods. And then beyond that there's a large house where my psychic Pokémon prefer to stay. The more intelligent Pokémon have a better sense of awareness, and need to be treated on more equal level than the more animal-like Pokémon. Field Pokémon like being pampered and taken care of while intelligent ones prefer to be respected and treated as such." Her gaze shifted to him, watching his reaction carefully. His eyes were wide with alertness and he digested the information.

"…Maybe I don't have anything to worry about here, huh?" He kicked at the ground, sighing. "It's strange. I know you call it a collection, but you don't act like any collector I've ever met. "

At this, she laughed. "Well yeah. Any true 'trainer' usually focuses on a basic team of six and maybe a few others. Where I have captured over five hundred Pokémon myself, and have traded many, many times. But I find trading to be good for me and some Pokémon too. It brings people together, I think. And that's a good thing. Having connections…"

"I'd agree." He responded, his hands in his pockets and his gaze nonchalant. "How long did it take you to do all this though?"

Ameythest frowned, turning around and letting her eyes wander across the vast, fenced in fields. "A long time. I knew exactly what I wanted when I left home. After my very first year I came back home for a time, and my mom helped me set up a petting zoo in town. That's how all this started." She extended her arm out, indicating the whole of the area. "All of this started with a couple of hard-to-find Pokémon and a couple of good friends." She smiled at herself, pride and happiness swelling inside of her. "And now it's a full-fledged, nearly-complete entirely exotic fully-staffed full-blown zoo!" Her voice increased with every word of the statement, ad she threw her arms up, unable to contain herself. "I achieved my dream! I had to work really hard and win tournaments for the prize money and I caught and tamed every Pokémon myself! ANDI DID IT!"

The red-haired man didn't say anything; opting to remain quiet for the time she spent recounting how she achieved such a massive goal. "So you have fun, every day with this then?"

"Yes." She replied without an ounce of hesitancy, spinning on her heel to face him once again. "I enjoy every moment of this, being able to work to maintain this place makes me happy."

"If you had to leave though," He began, his face turning serious. "For a time, at least. Would that be possible?"

She frowned, fiddling with her fingers, fidgeting with the uncomfortable question. "They'd survive for a few days without me I guess."

"Good. Then I'm afraid I must ask you to come with me, Ameythest." He stated, handing out his hand. "There are some people that could really use your help."


	3. The Capture Specialist

**Chapter 2: The Capture Specialist**

Ameythest frowned as the wind slashed at her face, her Tropius flying smoothly, keeping up with Silver's Honchkrow easily.

"My name is Silver, and I've been sent here to ask for your help."

She shook her head, annoyed. Why didn't they just call her? Why bring her character into such question? Yes, it was a ZOO, but zoos weren't bad or evil. In comparison to some facilities hers was downright luxurious! For good reason, though. Still annoyed, she looked over at Silver, watching him through the flaps of Tropius's wings. His cool, collected stare was enough of a discouragement from trying to talk to him, though it would've just been yelling against the wind anyway. She sighed, looking down at her poke balls, hoping she had chosen the right team. It had been quite a while since she had done any serious battling, although she made sure her Pokémon got plenty of combat training and exercises.

She noticed an odd movement as Silver and his Honchkrow moved about her and Tropius, and Silver dropped down, landing neatly behind her on Tropius's back.

"What are you doing?!" She shouted, bewildered.

He recalled the Honchkrow. "Saving us some time. We're going to be flying all night, and I think our Pokémon should take turns."

"All night! Where are we going?!" She demanded, now wondering where he was really taking them.

"Have you ever heard of Orre?" He asked more quietly, leaning down close so he didn't have to shout with the wind.

Ameythest shivered involuntarily at the feel of him on her back, and it took her a moment to recollect herself for an answer. "I-it's a desert region. Across the sea?" She was better to not have to shout so loud.

"That's correct. They've run into a bit of trouble though, and they need the help of a capture specialist."

"What kind of trouble?"

"It's a lot to explain out here like this, and I don't really understand the situation well enough. I was told to help you get there, that's all."

"And be my judge to see if I was good enough for the job, right?"

He didn't respond immediately. "There aren't too many people who seem to be as good as you are. I know one other, but she's otherwise occupied."

"Occupied how?"

Silver grimaced. It looked like a thought of disgust had just crossed his mind. "I…she's pregnant." He said in a shrinking voice.

"Oh." She blinked, surprised at the answer. "Yeah, I guess that would make her a bit unable."

"A bit…" He said somewhat shakily.

"You all right?"

"Yeah, it's just…she's kind of a friend. And-"

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Ameythest said apologetically. "You know guys really shouldn't keep their feeling hidden for too long or another guy will come waltzing up and snatch the girl of your dreams-"

"WHAT?!" Silver screeched, his face turning bright red. "No, no! Not like THAT! I was GOING to say that I'm also-KIND of- friends with her husband too…blech." His thoughts turned to Gold, and his idiotic smile gloating at him.

"_When are you gonna ever be able to settle down, Silver?" _He had asked in a ludicrous voice. All dressed up for his wedding, a couple of years back. Both in nice tuxes and everything. _"I mean you don't wanna be JUST a best man, right?" _And at the reception he gave what seemed like a wonderful speech.

"_And most of all, I'd like to thank my good friend Silver. If it wasn't for him, I'd never had started down the path that led me, amongst other places, here." _He of course didn't go into the detail, since, officially he was never one that broke into Elm's lab that day. _"He's had it rough himself, but he's brave and true. And he's SINGLE ladies, so feel free to mingle!" _

Silver felt his own face heat up again at the memory, and wanted to shrink back in his seat like he did, hide under the tablecloth and disappear for the rest of the night. It took him a second to remember the breeze cooling his face, and his mind returned to the present.

"You sure you're okay?" Ameythest asked again. She hadn't overlooked how tightly he had his hands wrapped around her waist at this point, like he had gotten nervous about something.

"Yeah I'm fine. Don't worry about it." His voice had returned to its cool and collected tone. "You should try to get some sleep, if you can."

"What, while we're flying?" She cried, taken aback.

He leaned forward, securing her and himself with his arms and legs. "Is this comfortable enough?"

Ameythest flushed as she was shifted forward, Tropius's soft leaf back acting like a large pillow below her and Silver a shielding, warm blanket on top of her. The closeness was a bit much though…

"Hello?"

"Y-yeah, I think I can nap like this. Don't push Tropius too hard."

"Sure." He replied. Something about his voice seemed a bit strained, but it was much warmer between the Pokémon and layers of clothes, and the hours of being awake and working suddenly seemed so much longer, weighing on her mind, making her eyelids heavy and she attempted to stifle a yawn. She watched Silvers determined gaze as her eyes closed.

* * *

"Ameythest. Can you wake up?" Silver shook her gently, hating to interrupt her deep sleep.

The tired girl stirred, groaning in protest at being woken up.

"Come on, you need to wake up." Silver urged. The Tropius underneath them shuddered, and let out a long, mournful roar.

Ameythest rubbed her eyes, forcing herself to sit up, and shivered at the chill air. "Ough…" She groaned. "How long was I out…" She wondered thoughtlessly, the cold air waking her up faster than she wanted. What she wouldn't give to snuggle back into warmth at the moment.

"A few hours. Tropius as pushed himself a little too far, there's an island not too much ahead of us. We're gonna land there and at least switch Pokémon." The red- haired man glanced worriedly at the straining Tropius, regretting not stopping just a little bit sooner, even though the Pokémon seemed insistent.

"Tropius, can you land all right?!" Ameythest's sleepy voice held quite a bit of worry, and in response, Tropius began its decent, diving rather sharply as they the island grew large in her vision. They landed with a loud thump, the creature's weight sinking into the sandy beach. Silver helped the still half-asleep Ameythest down, who immediately recalled the poor, worn-out Pokémon. "Thank you Tropius. Rest well."

Silver released his large Honchkrow, who puffed out its feathers proudly. "Uh-oh." Silver said stupidly, staring at his bird. So small in comparison to Ameythests saurapod Pokémon. "I don't think Honchkrow will be able to carry both of us. If he does, we wouldn't get far…" He swore, angry at himself for overlooking the important detail.

"We could stay here the night, huh?" Ameythest said, both at an attempt for a solution and to maybe help quell his anger.

"We could…we need a way to stay safe…I'm not familiar with this part of the sea." He frowned, trying to take in his surroundings.

She looked at him, noticing how bright the moon was out at sea. With so few clouds in the sky it was easy enough to see, though her sight was still a bit blurry from sleeping. "I think we have enough protection right here." She said, picking a poke ball from her waist.

Silver turned to see her release a large black and purple Pokémon, its figure shadowy in the moonlight. It took him a second to recognize it, and when he did he took a step back. "Th-that's a Chandelure!" He blurted, shocked.

"Yes, uncommon to see a trainer with them. Obviously not a Pokémon you just walk around with willy nilly. But Chandelure here is very kind, really." She laid a hand upon the Pokémon's centerpiece, patting it tenderly. "They're very powerful, and in addition to giving us some heat out here I'm pretty sure we'll be safe if she stands guard."

"I wouldn't doubt that. Honestly." He stared at the ominous creature. They were just as dangerous as any Pokémon in a legal tournament, but out here in the wild, with no rules, they were one of the most deadly predators you could ever think of facing.

"Let's go inland a bit. Being close to the water is sure to make her edgy…" Ameythest half-dragged her feet as she crossed the beach to the jungle area beyond, Chandelure's purple flames casting their strange light all over.

Silver followed, his Honchkrow flapping in annoyance. "We'll leave in the morning. You keep an eye out too for us tonight, all right?" The bird gave a gruff 'caw', reluctantly agreeing.

Yawning, Ameythest swung her heavy backpack from her shoulder, unrolling her sleeping bag sloppily. "Chandelure…" She called lazily. The fiery ghost circled her a couple of times, and she drank in the warm glow the Pokémon gave off. "Thanks…" All warmed up, she snuggled into the deep back, wrapping herself in the thick covers.

Silver watched her, surprised at her confidence in the Chandelure. But he too was exhausted at this point, and wasted no time in copying her actions, unrolling his own sleeping bag and laying down with little care for how he lay. It took him seconds to allow himself to succumb to sleep.


	4. Arrival

**Chapter 3: Arrival**

Silver blinked as the bright sun hit his face. He groaned, moving his arm to shield his eyes.

"Good morning~." Ameythests' singsong voice rang through the air.

Silver turned his head, opening one eye to look over at the girl. She was eating something. "What are you doing?" He asked sleepily.

"Sharpedo caught me some fish and Chandelure helped me cook it." She responded. "I made some for you."

His eyes widened, and the red-haired man sat up. "You made breakfast?"

Ameythest nodded, handing him some cooked basculin on a large leaf. "Eat carefully, fish bones are nasty small sometimes."

Silver nodded, accepting the food. It smelled delicious. "How'd you get it cut up so well?" He wondered aloud, looking at the cube-shaped pieces of fish in the makeshift plate.

"I never go anywhere without my knife." She responded simply, presenting the tool to him. She then stuffed the weapon in her boot.

"You really are full of surprises." He continued, popping a piece of fish into his mouth. He chewed thoroughly, making sure to spit out any hard pieces he came across.

Ameythest stopped to stare at him quizzically, raising an eyebrow. "Why, because I carry a knife?"

"Multiple reasons." The fish really was delicious. He wondered how many times she had cooked like this before. "I mean you really have accomplished a lot."

"Well, if there's anything that I do regret at this point…" She paused, taking a bite of her breakfast and chewing slowly. "It's that I didn't get further in the league when I had the chance."

Silver gave her a funny look. "You're only twenty-five." He stated accusingly. "Your team is probably more than capable of getting you through to the league again."

"Yeah. But with my business actually taking off now, I'd rather stay there. I'm just saying, I could have gotten a little more out of it while I was travelling around if I had tried a little bit harder at other things but…I was pretty focused on my goals."

"So you're not easily distracted. That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"My mom keeps saying I'm only experiencing one side of life. She wants me to be 'not so high strung', as she puts it."

"You seem pretty lax to me."

"Not when it comes to doing things. I'm actually fairly annoyed you've dragged me out here."

"Well you hide it well."

"Thanks. Either way, it's about time we got off on our merry way. I'd much appreciate being able to go home soon as I can." She said, standing to stretch.

"Right." Silver rolled up his sleeping bag, checking his surroundings one last time. "Did we have any trouble last night?"

"Dunno. Chandelure didn't bother waking me up so if there was any problems…she took care of it silently."

A shiver went down Silver's spine. Of all Pokémon she had to carry around. "And Tropius?"

"He's right over there." She said surprised, thinking her Pokémon plainly visible as it ate amongst the trees.

Silver altered his view slightly, spotting the saurapod nearly hidden amongst the brown and green of the jungle. "Oh. Wow. Well, he certainly seems like he's in better condition."

She smiled, walking over and petting the large Pokémon. "Yeah, much better after an all you can eat leaf buffet. C'mon Tropius, we're gonna take off soon."

Tropius bellowed softly, getting to its feet slowly.

Silver finished packing up, and himself, Ameythest and Tropius made their way to the edge of the beach.

Ameythest clambered up the creature, getting herself rightly comfortable. She offered a hand to Silver, who pushed it away with a cocky smirk.

"Thanks but I think I can get up." He climbed up the Pokémon with less grace, and eventually seated himself comfortably behind her.

"What, my hand too good for you?" She asked sharply.

"I'm still a man; I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, sure. Hold on tight. Tropius!"

Tropius roared, stomping it's feet once or twice as it started to flap its wings. The wind started to whip about them a bit, waving their hair in their faces.

"A little slow isn't he?"

She frowned. "I said hold on tight."

He looked down; noticing they had just moved maybe an inch of the ground, but the Pokémon's flapping had become more insistent. Then he felt his entire body nearly squish under the pressure as they shot upwards suddenly, and his grip on the small frame in front of him tightened for the few seconds and they got used to the speed.

"HA! Told you."

"He's really fast." Silver said, astonished.

"My Tropius is one of the fastest. We should get there soon, right?"

"Yeah." He agreed, nodding. "Just a few more hours."

"Well. What shall we do in the meantime?"

"Kinda hard to talk like this, isn't it?"

Ameythest frowned. Even when they were this close to each other, the wind was unforgiving when it came to trying to have a decent conversation. They had been half-shouting this entire time. "Well then, since this flight shouldn't be nearly as tiring, let's turn it into a big ride!"

"What?!"

"Hold on! TROPIUS, ROLLER COASTER TIME!"

The beast gave a happy bellow, and spun for a triple-corkscrew in the air.

Ameythest shouted delighted screams, elation filling her body. Tropius dipped fast and leveled back out slowly, much like a real roller coaster.

"I think. I'm gonna be sick." Silver groaned from behind her.

"We've only been going a few minutes…hm?" She turned to face his paling features. "I thought you'd been through worse than this, Silver, geez."

"Yeah but…you don't notice those kind of movements so much when your mind is elsewhere. Plus I don't think I've ever ridden anything quite so _fast _before!"

"Not much for thrills, are you?"

"I try to think of myself as a little more of a serious person than that."

"Huh. Seems like we both need to explore how to relax a little more?"

Silver paused, mulling over the statement. "Relaxing in different ways isn't a bad thing it's just different."

"Yeah, but being too serious sometimes is just as bad as being so focused on something you miss the things around you, isn't it?" Tropius had slowed down a bit, making it easier for them to have a conversation. "Either way, we're both missing out on parts of our lives at this point."

"I've missed out so much on a normal life already that it hardly matters…"

She was glad he couldn't see her face. She didn't know if he meant to say that or not, or if it was meant to even be heard or not. Either way, the statement shocked her, and she wondered just what kind of life this red-haired man had been living up until now.

They were silent for awhile, unsure of how to continue the conversation. "Sorry. Did I make you uncomfortable?" He finally asked, although he knew the answer already, at least it was something he could say.

"You just surprised me is all." She could answer honestly at least. "Try not to worry about it. In fact, try not to worry about anything at all."

"Not worry?!" He sounded like he took the statement as an insult.

"Well I mean worry. A little. Just don't dwell on anything too much. Keep a clear head towards your goals, you know?"

"Is that how you've missed out on life around you?" He asked accusingly.

All he got was a sharp glare as a response. A moment or two more passed in silence.

Silver tapped her shoulder. "There. Gateon Port."

"Oh goody, we made it!" Ameythest said enthusiastically. The port city seemed to grow as it came into view, and she gained an appreciation for the simple, small town. She took a glance around the rest of the surrounding terrain while she was still high enough in the air. "Woooooowww….look at that desert."

"Orre is a harsh place to live sometimes. There are a couple of 'nice' spots, as someone might say."

"This town looks nice. A little small, but nice." They circled the air a little bit for their descent, and Tropius landed safely at the entrance of the port. "Gateon Port, huh. Well, let's go experience! I've never been to Orre before."

"'Experience'?" Silver questioned. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't decide to travel the world on my journey because it was convenient." She said matter of factly. It was so I could experience new places and people." She recalled her Tropius, strolling forward through the entrance of the town.

"Like I said. You're just one big surprise after another."

"And you're still a giant mystery that I have yet to figure out. Why the hell didn't we fly over here in a plane?" She suddenly asked ludicrously, as if the thought should have been addressed long before.

"Too expensive. And a boat would have taken way too long. Either way, you're here now, so-"

"HELLO HELLO!" A loud voice drew their attention, and a brown haired man in a lab coat waved frantically towards them. "HELLO?!"

Ameythest pointed to herself. "Us?" She asked dumbly.

Silver shrugged.

The man caught up with them, obviously excited. "Oh my, are you the two I'm looking for?" He adjusted his glasses, a goofy look hanging on his face.

"That depends." Silver said shortly. "Who _are_ you looking for?"

"A uh, Silver and Ameythest, from Johto and Hoenn?"

Ameythest folded her arms across her chest. "Yeah, that's us. Who are you?"

"Professor Krane, the leading expert in Orre. Though there's not much to be an expert on around here…" He coughed. "Anyway, which one of you is the capture specialist?"

Ameythest raised her hand in response, like she was in a class or something. "That'd be me."

"Ah, good. And you're as good as they say I hope?"

"Well I dunno what they say about me." She smiled, laughing a bit.

Krane adjusted his glasses again. "Yes, yes. I see. And you're Silver?" He asked, turned towards the other foreigner.

"What of it?"

Ameythest glanced at her escort. He was giving Krane a cold glare, which she doubted the professor noticed by the way he was bobbing about.

"Good, good." The professor pressed on. "Now you two will need a hover transport, it's too hot in the desert for any non-local Pokémon, and even then it's risky…and anything with wheels can get stuck in sandpits so come along."

"Whoa, I'm not staying!" Silver exclaimed, indicating Ameythest. "I'm just her escort over here-"

"Well surely you don't expect her to traverse Orre alone?" He adjusted his glasses again. "It's kind of dangerous to go it alone out here, especially if you don't know the area, and I don't have anyone that can help around here anymore."

Silver's glare flashed, and Ameythest saw the anger in his eyes. He approached the professor, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him an inch off the ground. "What exactly did you call us over here for that you couldn't tell the other professors over the phone?!" He demanded, a threat dripping in his tone.

"Oh wow, so this is what they meant by watching out for you. Ahehehe." The professor giggled a little, despite being put in the awkward position. "Anyway, I'll tell you what's going on. Just not out here."

The flame-haired trainer reluctantly let the professor drop, forcibly trying to subside his anger. It wasn't working well. "Fine. Lead." He spat, shoving his fists into his pockets.

The professor turned to walk, and Ameythest worked her way over to Silver as they followed him towards a rickety old shop. "See? Relax a little."

Silver jerked his head away, not in the least bit interested in being talked to.


	5. The Mission

**Chapter 4: The Mission**

Krane busied himself talking to another older man in the small store, Silver and Ameythest staring on in silence.

Ameythest shifted uncomfortably next to Silver, who was still glaring down the professor with his unwavering cold eyes. She fidgeted, watching as the professor chatted with the storeowner. This man next to her didn't seem like the same person she had traveled over here with. He seemed deadly dangerous somehow, and more withdrawn. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she had never seen him smile. He expressed surprise, interest, curiosity, and a bit of sadness, but nothing to indicate…happiness.

"Silver." Her voice was barely above a whisper. She was almost frightened to address him.

"Hm?" He suspended his glare for a fraction of a second.

"So you don't have any idea as to why we're here?"

"Not a clue." He responded, maintaining his vision of the professor. "He contacted Elm, who got in touch with Oak and Birch. Birch was the one that told us about you. He had heard about your recent success, and since Kris is unavailable, it seemed like a good idea."

"Do you still think it was a good idea?" She asked, feeling suddenly a bit overwhelmed.

Silver turned in surprise. "It seems to me that you must have quite a bit of talent, simply by looking at the size of your collection. You DID catch them yourself didn't you?"

"Yeah…" She frowned, still not sure how to feel. "But your first choice would've been Kris, right?"

"Hey. That girl is bona fide genius." He placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring look. "It's hard to compare anyone to her, and from what I've seen of you so far…you do realize just how much you've accomplished, don't you?"

"You think?" She was still unsure.

"Whatever it is he needs, I'm sure you're capable." His scowl returned. "If he can make a decent explanation, that is."

"Thanks." She smiled. It felt good to be reassured, especially after travelling this far.

Professor Krane approached them, adjusting his glasses. "Well I managed to get you a transport. Come along then, next stop is the Pokémon center."

Silver made an indistinguishable sound, his annoyance evident as he followed the professor out the door. Ameythest filed in behind him, stepping back outside to the smell of sea salt and a crisp ocean breeze. The town was literally built around a few ports, and she shivered from the cool air. It was always cool around water. The Center was just across the street, but the same could be said for anything in the port. It really was rather small.

Krane opened the door to the center, making way for the two foreigners. Once inside, he pointed to a door on the right side of the main lobby. "There. We won't be bothered in there." He shuffled his feet as they entered the room, Krane making sure the door was shut well before he sat down at the small conference table. He waited for his two companions to take their seats as well, and once everyone was situated, he sighed exhaustedly. "I was worried. Oak said you should have arrived last night, so I was beginning to think-"

"Why are we here, professor?" Silver demanded, his hand clenched into a fist.

"We have to keep this quiet. Orre doesn't need a panic."

Ameythest swallowed hard. She felt her heart pound in her chest from anticipation and fear. _There are some people that could really use her help' _Silver had told her when he 'recruited' her. All they knew up to this point was that Krane was in trouble, and he had stressed the importance of a seasoned capture specialist. Something that could harm the people of Orre…

"Not too many know about the shadow Pokémon." Krane continued, shuffling his fingers. "We've had two incidents in the past, one about thirteen years ago, and another five years after that. But something's…something's happened."

"What's a shadow Pokémon?" Silver asked loudly. Ameythest was equally confused.

"Cipher. And organization that was determined to find a way to create stronger, better Pokémon. Slave-like Pokémon rather than partners or pets. They had found a way to seal off a Pokémon's heart, making it obedient and terrifyingly strong, with little fear or feelings."

"That's terrible…" Ameythest stated slowly, shock written all over her face. Her gaze moved to Silver, who was staring at Krane with wide eyes. He seemed more angry than surprised.

"So what's going on NOW?" He asked insistently.

Krane frowned, twiddling his fingers together. "The second incident was with a Pokémon referred to as XD001, the perfect, irreversible shadow Pokémon. You see, before, shadow Pokémon could be catered to, have their hearts opened up again by a willing a patient trainer. But XD001…was supposed to unpurifiable."

"Is that even a word?" Ameythest asked suddenly.

"He's explaining a crisis, and you ask about grammar?" Silver retorted, shooting her a look.

"Doesn't matter." Krane stated coolly. "The thing is, XD001 WAS purified, but it was a difficult process. But I was never entirely certain it would work forever. The way its heart was closed off like that, supposed to be completely and utterly permanent, going through something like that was certain to leave some sort of scar. I'm afraid…I was correct…just a few days ago, I heard of a story. Something from the news, storms rising in the seas, unnatural ones. Something dark and malevolent is in the air, and I fear XD001 may be slipping back into a shadow state…"

"Can't you purify it again?" Ameythest was getting increasingly worried about the poor Pokémon.

"The trainer that originally…" He stopped, looking like he was trying to gather himself. "Michael…young Michael purified XD001 originally. But he isn't around anymore. And I haven't the slightest on how to contact him."

"Professor, why didn't XD001 stay with Michael?" Silver's stare was hard, he had sinking feeling that this could be a lot more dangerous than he predicted. "If you felt this could happen why didn't he keep it?"

Krane took a moment to pause. "A Lugia. Cipher and captured and processed a Lugia into a dangerous creature with increased power and little care for anything. Michael released it shortly after it was purified, since this particular Pokémon was happier being free. I had hoped that allowing it's free spirit to roam that it would help keep its heart it in check, but…well, you wouldn't be here otherwise. Now you see why I need someone with very capable capturing abilities."

"Because in order to get close to a Lugia, you have to fly its storms…" Silver stood, thinking over the situation. "And only someone with keen senses can capture such a Pokémon." He turned to face Ameythest, his stone serious look making her flinch. "You think you're up to that?"

She stared, unsure how to work her mouth. It took her a moment to realize her hands her shaking. "I-I can try my best, right? I mean it sounds dangerous. A dark Lugia…"

Krane coughed. "Shadow Pokémon have violent tendencies. The last time, Lugia was under the control of Cipher, but it was able to send an entire ship from the sea into the middle of the desert. We need to prevent another incident like that from happening."

"Then we can't just let something like this run loose. I'll do my best to capture Lugia for you!" Her heart was pounding and her hands were still shaking, but she realized somehow through the fear and initial shock that this is why they had to pick her specifically, why her talents were their best bet to keep the people of Orre safe.

Silver looked at her, sympathy written all over his face. It looked odd, she realized, and he let his shoulders drop. "This will be dangerous. You could be seriously hurt, or worse."

"You came and asked for my help, and I accepted." She stated simply.

Silver's eyes narrowed at her, and he recognized her fear. "I'll be coming with you of course."

Ameythest meekly tried to hide her relief, much to his amusement. "Thanks." She managed to mutter.

The bespectacled professor nodded approvingly. "Well then, if my projections are correct, our dark Lugia might me causing some trouble over the desert by now…they usually stick to the sea but it's not in its right mind at the moment…which is why I've arranged for you to have a transport."

Silver, who was standing, offered Ameythest his hand. "Don't worry. You can do this."

The woman with cropped hair and violet eyes full of fear carefully accepted his hand, realizing that this man's leather-gloved appendage could very well be her best hope for safety on this wild and sudden journey.

"You're not very okay with this, are you?" He asked her, noticing the slight shake in her grip.

"I feel very far from home." She admitted, quickly realizing the statement was a little silly.

"That's because you are. Not everyone would agree to come all the way out here without knowing what they were supposed to do." He was wondering if he was doing the right thing, trying to reassure her like this.

"You said people might be in trouble. I've never had a real chance to help someone else for once. I've always been so very-"

"Focused on your own goals." He finished for her, his tone light with realization.

"I think I'm doing the right thing, not only for other people, but for myself as well. I need to know that I can help others, somehow. That I'm not just out for myself. It's weird. Even now I really don't want to be here, but somehow, at the same time, if feels right."

"Fine then, fair enough." He turned to leave. "We had better get started. And I'm glad you've resolved to do the right thing, even though it's difficult…"

Ameythest flushed a bit, and then stood, frowning. "I've spent ten years doing everything I wanted for myself. It's time I acted a bit more my age and did something for someone else, right?"

Silver didn't bother to reply, he was already halfway out the door.


	6. Dangers

**Chapter 5: Dangers**

The hovercraft was a two-seater, and a little cramped at that. The desert was beyond scorching, and they had very few clues to go on.

"AUGH!" Ameythest shouted in frustration, grabbing a water bottle from her pouch and drinking deeply. "This is impossible! We've been at it three days and nothing!"

Silver rolled his eyes from his seat in the driver's position. "We're looking for a sandstorm in a desert, one that we have no idea when it will happen or exactly where. Give it some time."

Ameythest frowned, noticing the irritation in his voice as well. She ran her fingers through her hair, realizing how much sand was packed in it and she grimaced. She looked back to Silver, more than aware how much thicker and longer his hair was and felt a bit of sympathy. "Sorry."

"It's all right." He said coolly. "I'd be more surprised if you weren't on edge. I've been in some sticky situations before…" His voice trailed off.

"Really? What kind?" Ameythest asked. Her own 'adventures' weren't anything special, and she was curious to find out more about the less than open Silver. Thinking about it now, it has been a rather uneventful life until this whole mess came about.

He hesitated, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. "Lots of different things. I wasn't always…" He swallowed hard. "I wasn't always on the right side of things." It sounded like a confession.

"Oh." She saw that he was growing uncomfortable. "I'm sorry; do you not want to talk about it?"

"It's a touchy subject for me." He said simply.

"You don't have to tell me."

"I know." He said, glancing towards her. "I wasn't really planning on it. We'll be going our separate ways after this little adventure. You have your dream to live and I'm not really for sticking around one place for long."

She was taken aback by how much he had already thought about it. "I hadn't even thought of that." She admitted sheepishly.

"That's what I would expect from little miss focused."

"I'm not that little." She retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

He chuckled with the slightest of amusement. He looked her over out of the corner of his eye. Her thin frame and short hair, a little on the short side too. She had dressed for the desert too, buying a sleeveless top and a pair of super short shorts. Silver found his gaze resting on the toned skin of her shapely legs, so much skin showing. He felt a heat come off his face that wasn't caused by the desert, and quickly turned his attention back to the desert ahead of him. He took notice of his own wardrobe suddenly, the desert heat driving him out of his favorite black jacket, forcing him to switch to a light-colored t-shirt. "If you-"

"Silver." She interrupted him, half-standing out of her seat. "Over there." She pointed to a strange formation of sand and wind that was not far to the east of them. "Does that look odd enough to be what we're looking for?"

"Worth a shot." He turned the hovercraft sharply, speeding up quickly to head towards the disturbance. The closer they got, the more the wind seemed to pick up, blowing sand into their faces. "I think we found something!" He cried against the wind, pulling up a pair of goggles that were hanging around his neck and fitting them snugly over his eyes.

Ameythest coughed as she steadied her own pair over her eyes. "It's getting hard to breath!" She shouted.

Silver didn't reply, he was having too much trouble fighting the steering. The wind grew fiercer, and a sound captured both of their full attention.

"Silver…" Ameythest said his name shakily. In fact, everything about her seemed a little shaky. She spotted in midst of the sand and wind, a giant shadow flapped its large wings in front of them. Lugia gave a great call, sending shivers down their spine.

"Ameythest, JUMP!" Silver shouted. The wind was pushing their craft over, threatening to throw them into the sand dunes.

"What?!" She called back.

Silver growled impatiently, releasing the steering wheel and tackling Ameythest as they both tumbled out of the craft, hitting the dunes hard. He coughed, the sand making it incredibly difficult to breathe.

Ameythest stumbled to stand up, the sand shifting under her with the wind. Her legs were knee deep in the loose dunes, and she struggled to breathe and see in the whipping air.

Lugia let out another loud roar, the voice sounding like an angry song.

"You have to approach it!" Silver yelled, gasping.

She turned to help him stand, and he handed her a type of odd medical mask and scarf.

"Take it!" He shouted. "And get close enough to capture that thing!"

"What about you?! The air is getting denser by the second!"

"Then you'd better hurry!" He pushed her towards the center of the winds, towards huge, looming shadow that had begun to terrify her with its presence.

She trudged forward; walking through moving sand was like walking through thick, heavy mud. She fought to get the mask and scarf on her face as much as she fought with every step, brining her closer to the rogue Pokémon.

It roared again, this time much more angrily, and Ameythest saw her opening. "Tropius!" She released her partner, wrapping her arms around its neck as she ordered it to fly upwards. "Whirlwind! I need a clear shot!" The wind was so great at this point she could barely hear her own screaming. Arms wrapped around her Pokémon's neck, she struggled to get situated on its back as the large, leafy wings flapped vigorously, creating a counter-wind that blew sand away from them. It was like being in her own little bubble that could move through the torrent, a torrent of incredibly thick sand. "Hurry! It could fly away at any moment!" Tropius did its best to fly faster, to get to where they needed to be. She saw the figure of Lugia flap it's wings once, beginning to ascend. The sand was so thick this close to it that it still seemed like a shadow. And then she noticed that its attention was not directed at her, but at something from just a little to the east. Whatever it was, it was all the chance she needed.

Tropius burst through the sand to the center of the winds, and Ameythest took in the full sight of the darkly discolored legend from the sea. Trying her best to remain unfazed, she grabbed a friend ball from her waist, and aimed carefully. "Shadow Pokémon are different." She chanted to herself. "The source of their power comes from their sealed off heart…so that's my target!" She imagined the anatomy of the creature, outlining its structure in her head. "The heart." She repeated, and she waited for it to move just ever so slightly…and there!

She let the ball fly, having to throw twice as hard to fight the wind. She bit her lip as she watched it fly through the air, its course weaving a bit from the environment. It hit its mark, but just barely. She would have been more certain if it had hit a fraction more to the left. The Pokémon turned into a bright flashing light, being drawn into the ball. With that the winds stopped suddenly, and Ameythest felt her Tropius begin to fall rapidly. "WHOAAA!" She cried, holding on to her partner for dear life. They landed safely in the sand, a little bruised but none worse for the wear. She recalled Tropius and bolted over to where the ball fell, to find it shaking violently. "Come on come on come on…" She repeated the words over and over, and not for the first time in her life. It's been a very long time since she worried about a capture, and even longer since she felt anything riding on it. But at this moment, it was everything. She felt her lips curl into a smile as the shaking grew less and less violent.

And then her heart sank like a stone as the ball burst open, a more than angry roar coming from the Pokémon, and it took off with a massive gust of wind, blowing her backwards several feet and smacking her into the sand like a rag doll. She coughed for air as she lay on her back, pushing herself up on her elbows to watch the shadowy figure of Lugia flying away at breakneck speed. Already it was almost completely out of sight. She stared at thin air in total disbelief. So close. It was almost there, just that tiny bit too far to the right. Disappointment filled her head, along with the guilt that she had failed and the anger that it had just been so very close. She wanted to punch something in frustration

She coughed hard, and tore off the mask and scarf from her face, spitting out a mixture of sand and saliva from her mouth. "Uugh…" She groaned, and as her adrenaline died, she found that her chest felt a little strange, though she had no trouble breathing. "That's a good sign at least." She couldn't believe she hadn't thought about bringing protection against the harsh environment. If Silver hadn't-

She stopped the thought, her mind suddenly screaming. "Silver?!" She called out in alarm, but there wasn't an answer. "SILVER!" She screamed his name, her worry growing into a full-fledged panic. There still was nothing to answer, and then she spotted a dark spot among the shifted dunes. She bolted for it, as fast as she could as the ground sank beneath her. Honchkrow was a mess of frazzled feathers, nudging at a figure with his claw. Ameythest fell next to the unconscious man. "Silver wake up!" She shook him, desperate for a response. She tried helping him up, and that's when she realized his breathing was incredibly labored. Even unconscious, he wheezed harshly, spitting up a substance that looked like mud.

The color drained from her face, and she quickly called out her Tropius once again. The Pokémon was still tired from its previous exertion, but his determination would have to make up for it. "Tropius, we need to get to the nearest town as fast as possible! Fly high then shoot for the nearest buildings!" Tropius stomped, roaring affirmatively, and Silver's Honchkrow hovered next to them. Ameythest put Silvers back to her Pokémon's long neck, then used herself as a safety belt and wrapped her arms around him to hold on to the steady neck behind him. "Stay with Silver. Please stay with me." She felt his body sputter and cough, hacking up the dark mucky substance that she was sure was sand. His breath was raspy, like he couldn't get the air he needed. She watched his face intently, watched as his eyes opened and he looked up at her meekly, coughing violently.

"Try to rest." She said as calmly as you could. "We're going to get help, I promise…"

"Can't…breathe…" He gasped slowly before another bout of violent coughing shook his body.

"Tropius…!" The edge in Ameythest's voice was one of desperation. Tropius increased its speed somehow, and she saw what looked like an oasis come into view. An oasis that was in the center of a sparkling white city. "Oh thank heaven." She exclaimed, and realized that unlike most towns in Orre, this place was decently sized. The closer they got the more anxious she became, looking desperately for the tall white building with the red cross medical sign on it…

"There!" She pointed, directing her Pokémon. "Land right at the entrance to that building!"

Having a confirmed destination, Tropius complied, swooping down quickly and landing right in front of the clear automatic doors of the hospital. She hoisted Silver as best she could, half dragging him into the building. A nurse who had noticed her fast landing from the desk rushed out to her, a wheelchair being offered to them.

"What happened?!" The nurse demanded.

"Sandstorm. Big, sudden, incredible sandstorm." Ameythest remembered that the people of Orre didn't need to know the return of the shadow Lugia. She swung Silver into the wheelchair as another violent wheeze overtook his body. "It was so thick, and we were somehow right in the center…he gave me a mask but I don't think he had anything to protect himself with." He hacked up another clump of sand, and the nurse rushed him in, her expression alarmed.

Ameythest followed, panting from the rush, from trying to carry him in, from everything. The nurse was rattling off a bunch of names and supplies and within seconds she saw Silver being put on a stretcher and rushed down to an emergency care room. She followed, watching as at least two doctors and four nurses gathered around him. They were trying to get him to breathe, and she stared in total disbelief as they had to hold him down and start to manually dig out some of the sand that had settled in his airways with tools and apparatuses. He jerked awake at this, gagging and coughing at the foreign objects, and the clumps of mud falling from his mouth to anywhere they would land. They released him as he rolled to the side, puking roughly onto the floor. He dazed glare fell upon where she stood in the open doorway, and she sighed in relief as she heard him breathe easier. He rolled onto his back once again, exhausted from the experience, and the doctor tried to talk him through what was going on. But he was only half conscious, and his eyes stared past everything. They continued their work, and it wasn't until Ameythest began hacking herself that one of the standby nurses noticed her, ushering her into the hallway.

"Sorry, but it'll be better you stay out here…" The nurse said, gently leading her out of the room.

Ameythest cough, into her mouth, a clump of sand stuck to her palm.

The nurse's sweet smile frowned into creases of worry. "Oh dear. Hang on." She took the stethoscope from around her neck and quickly listened to Ameythest's chest.

"It's not serious." She stated. "But I'll get you a doctor." The nurse led the tired, travelled girl into a room across the hall, sitting her on an examination table and checking her lungs one more time. "I won't be but a minute."

Ameythest nodded, barely registering the words. She thought she might have to go outside and recall Tropius, since it was too tall to fit through the door and all. She worried about Silver, about his condition. She hoped, she really, really hoped he would be all right. She found herself shuddering, and lay down on the examination table, which was surprisingly comfortable. Sighing from exhaustion, she realized she never did see what her doctor looked like before her eyes closed.


	7. Guilt

**Chapter 6: Guilt**

Ameythest groaned lowly, her head pounding as she struggled to open her eyes.

The room was brighter than she remembered. Of course it was hard to tell with her vision so blurred. Her thoughts focused on orienting herself. Where was she? She blinked quickly a couple of times, making out the room. She was lying on a couch made up like a bed, the comforters warm and snug in the chill room. She sat up noticing a band aid on her upper arm.

"Odd." She stated, then remembered that she was in a hospital. They might have given her a shot or two while she was out. That's when it clicked that something was a little off. Shouldn't she have woken up in a hospital bed? She looked up, and in the hospital bed in front of her lay Silver, IVs in his hand and a small breathing aid over his mouth and nose. She stood straight up, walking closer to him. She could hear his somewhat strained but otherwise strong breathing. The beeping of the moniters rang in her ears as she stared at his unconscious form.

She wasn't sure how long she just stared at him, wishing he could wake up so she could apologize for failing, for letting everything down. Not knowing how to handle this kind of failure, or how to advance to the next step without him, she felt like a tourist without a guide. "What do I do now?" She wondered aloud, completely at a loss.

There was a brief knock on the door, and Ameythest responded automatically. "C-come in."

"Awake?" The nurse asked curiously, and then noticed Ameythest standing over Silvers bed. "Oh, good, one of you is awake at least. He could be out for a day or two more, but it's nothing to worry about now." She put on her kindest smile, one of habit, Ameythest was almost sure of.

"What all happened to him?" Ameythest asked out of morbid curiosity.

"Well, he had a near-drowning experience with sand. Too much had gotten in his lungs, and he was in surgery to clean them out a bit. He'll be fine in a week or so."

"A week…" Ameythest felt the guilt on her shoulders like two tons of weights. She stared at the red-haired man lying in bed, his breathing audible. He seemed peaceful, sleeping quietly, completely oblivious that he had been poked and stabbed.

"It's all right, sweetie." The nurse continued with genuine concern and care. "He'll be all right." She rounded on Ameythest, wrapped an arm around the others' shoulders. "You have to worry a bit for yourself, too."

Ameythest managed to nod silently, and the nurse continued talking.

"You'll both be on some antibiotics until you get enough of the sand out of your bodies to not risk infection, which could take awhile. There's only so much we can do with this, but we do try our best." Her smile seemed to falter. "I really do hate to do this right now, but it there anyone we should be contacting about his condition, and we need to know if he has insurance or not."

"I know who to get ahold of." Ameythest said. "Is there a videophone I can use?"

"Of course. Follow me."

The nurse led her down a maze of white walls and elevators, back to a lobby she didn't recognize.

"This is the general lobby. The videophones are over there and there's a gift shop. Oh, and cafeteria is down that way-" She pointed in the opposite direction of the phones. "-in case you get hungry." The nurse handed her a bottle of pills. "Take these with your meals, three times a day. Oh-" She also handed over a small, square device. "This is kind of like an inhaler. If you get a fit of coughs, which is bound to happen, just put your mouth on the mouth piece and press the button. The loosened sand in your lungs will be forced out by a rush of oxygen and some medicine will be delivered to your lungs as well."

Ameythest looked at the items blankly, unsure about any of it. "All right. I'm going to go call someone."

"I'll be in to check on Silver every hour until nightfall. Be sure to catch me at least once more tonight."

"Okay." Ameythest responded, and the nurse walked away.

She frowned after the odd woman, then turned to the video phones, searching her pockets for the piece of paper that Silver had given her before. She typed in the number on the scrap, and let the phone ring a few times. Finally, an elderly man that she recognized only from his picture appeared. "P-Professor Oak?"

"Hello? Who am I speaking to?"

"M-my name is Ameythest, sir. Yourself and professor Elm sent Silver to Hoenn to fetch me for the crsis in Orre."

"Ahh, so YOU'RE the zoo master! It's a pleasure to finally talk to you, Ameythest!" The professor paused. "But why are you calling me? Silver usually-"

"He's unavailable." Ameythest said quickly. "I-I'm sorry professor. I'm so-" She stopped herself, the guilt welling up in her and she felt tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Hey now, there's no need for that. Just calm down a minute and tell me what happened."

Ameythest sniffed, then coughed violently.

The professor gave her a concerning look. "Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah…" Ameythest replied, the cough subsiding. "I'll start from the beginning. We arrived a few days ago, and finally met professor Krane…" She explained all she could, making sure nobody was around when she mentioned XD001 and explained the Orre fiasco. "…And so…" She felt tears welling up in her eyes again. "Because of that he's stuck here for another week. A-and it's all my fault…"

"Oh my…" Professor Oak seemed rather shocked at the turn of events. "Silver has been in some tough scrapes before, but he's normally managed to avoid getting hurt this bad… Ameythest." He stared at her through the screen intently. "This isn't your fault. Now Silver may act all big and tough but he's still just a person. Go on back up to his room and give him whatever support you can. Whether he admits it or not, it's what he needs. And don't worry about the hospital bills, I'll send some information over to them straightaway."

"Professor." Ameythest couldn't help smiling a little at him. "You really are as nice as everyone says you are."

"Oh, I try. Now I have to make a few calls, maybe send you some backup if I can."

"Oh professor! Could you do me a favor?"

"Hm? What's that?"

"He's mentioned a person named Gold a couple of times, and I get the feeling they don't get along very well sometimes."

Oak frowned, scratching his head at the thought. "Hard to say, really."

"Well if you could just make sure Gold doesn't find out…I just think Silver might be annoyed if that person found out about all this."

"You may be right…but are you sure we should be doing that? I know them better than you do, after all."

"Yes, I know. If you think he really should know, that calls up to you, sir. But from what little I understand and know, I think this sort of thing is normally just between the two of them?"

Oak laughed a bit. "Yes, I think you've got their relationship understood pretty well. I'll call you again soon, Ameythest."

"Thank you professor." And they hung up.

She wasn't sure what to do now. She had no appetite to eat and no set goals for the day. For the first time in her life, she had absolutely no idea what to do. She stared at the dead screen of the video phone for a minute or two, then stood, spotting the gift shop in the corner of her eye. Curious, she meandered in the small shop, digging in her pocket for her wallet. Checking the amount, she nodded in satisfaction, and noticed the bits of sand that flew everywhere. She dug her fingers through her hair, grimacing at the gritty texture. Shower. She needed to shower. She shook her head again, and noticed the rather large book selection in the shop. A book would be a good way to pass the time. Browsing the categories, she decided that yesterday was enough adventure for a high epic story, so she settled for a few comic stories over actual book. Then, walking up to the counter, she spotted something. It was an odd little trinket, a little keychain with an odd stone attached to it. It was like a gem you'd find in a tourist cave, the silver-like end of it turning black in the middle, and a deep red tip on the other side. The storekeep noticed her staring at it.

"That's a stone from Citadark Isle caves. We call it Shinite."

"It reminds me of someone…" Ameythest remarked, picking up the little trinket and placing it on top of her books. She paid for the items and walked out of the store, trying to remember how to get back to Silver's room. Then, nearly dropping her new buys, she remembered something incredibly important.

She ran outside fast as she could, looking around frantically. She didn't have to look far though, Tropius and Honchkrow had settled comfortably into the side of the building, a place where a rather large walking area was. Tropius bellowed excitedly at seeing her, stomping towards her in two swift steps and lowering its head to nuzzle her. She hugged the large pokemons face, petting it gently. "I'm fine Tropius." She said, and the Honchkrow looked up at her expectantly.

"He's still asleep." She said mournfully. "There's a mini-center inside for pokemon. You guys can wait for us there with the rest of our teams."

Honchkrow flapped its wings dutifully, as if agreeing with the statement. She recalled Tropius, and dropped the two off at the mini-center before deciding to go back upstairs to Silver.

It took her nearly twenty minutes, but she managed to find the little private space. He was still asleep, looking as peaceful as ever. She placed the knick-knacky trinket on his nightstand, and settled into the couch, opening one of the comics she had bought. It wasn't too much longer before the nurse, same one as before, came bustling in. "Oh good, you're back. Did you get something to eat?"

Ameythest shook her head. "Wasn't hungry."

"Oh. Well, did you manage to get in touch with someone?"

"Yeah. Professor Oak will be sending some papers here. Is that all right?"

The nurse paused, surprised. "Well, we'll see. Now I have to ask. What is your relation to this young man?"

Ameythest frowned, looking up. If she wasn't related, would they make her leave? "Um." She stumbled over her words, unsure whether it was smart to tell the truth or not. "I-we're business partners. Travelling companions…whatever you wish."

"I see." She said it cautiously. "He came to for a little bit right after his surgery, asking for you."

Ameythest stared. "He was?"

"Muttered something we couldn't quite catch before he fell back asleep." She busied herself with the machinery and tubes around his bed.

But the other girl in the room could only stare into blank space, wondering what he could've said about her. Was it bad? Good? Worry? She suddenly felt light-headed, and leaned back in her seat.

"You should eat." The nurse said, almost scoldingly. "There's a menu over here by his bed, you can feel free to order from that and it will be brought up to you."

"Thank you." She replied, suddenly feeling the slight gnawing of hunger in her stomach.

"He'll wake up soon enough. Try not to worry." The nurse gave one last smile before ducking out of the room.

Ameythest stared at the menu of food, feeling that the only thing she really needed was for Silver to wake up and forgive her.


	8. A Slow Recovery

**Chapter 7: A Slow Recovery**

She had slept well, Ameythest thought, stretching out on the comfortable couch lazily. She looked up, spying her breakfast that had already been delivered along with the bottle of pills and glass of water. She sighed deeply, snuggling into the comforter, listening to the beeping of the machines in the room. A second sound seemed to echo the beeps, and Ameythest rolled over to see Silver, sitting up carefully, trying to eat a modest breakfast.

She bolted into a sitting position, a dead stare locked onto Silvers slowly moving form. The breathing mask hung precariously around his neck, and he looked on with such a tired, dead look that Ameythest shrank in her seat a little.

"I feel like crap." He spoke suddenly, jolting her from her dazing.

"I'm sorry." She said quickly. "Can I get you anything?"

"No. It's fine." He swallowed his food with some difficulty, washing it down with a big of orange juice. "My throat just feels raw."

Ameythest felt her heart skip a beat, remembering all those people doing all those things to him. "S-sorry."

"Why are you apologizing so much?" He asked. He sounded so worn out, and it just made the guilt in her heart feel that much heavier.

"It's my fault." She finally said, feeling her chest tighten with anxiety. "I tried to catch it as fast as I could, but the wind and the sand was too much-" Her voice cracked, and she felt the tears spilling down. "I didn't want anyone to get hurt and look what happened!" She covered her face with hands, trying her best to get a grip of herself.

"Hey, it's okay." Silver whispered. "C'mere." He beckoned her over with his hand.

She looked up at him, her eyes and face red. Standing up she went to stand right by him, awkwardly holding her arms.

"Sit down." He instructed, patting the soft white sheets of the hospital bed.

She obeyed, her lower lip quivering, threatening to bring her back into a state of a sobbing mess.

"It's not your fault." He said quietly. "Honchkrow and I jumped straight into that whirlwind to distract it, so you could have a good shot. It was my recklessness that put me in this state, so don't worry about it."

She stared at him with her big, watery eyes. Mouth slightly agape and herself in a bit of a shock. "But…but I failed."

Silver frowned. "What?"

"It didn't work. I almost caught it, but the hit…the wind was too strong, the ball went just a fraction off the right mark and it broke free."

Silver let his head fall back, his face in a daze. "So we did fail…"

"I'm so sorry-" Ameythest started again, but he stopped her, grasping her hand gingerly.

"No. There's no way you've could have done more than you best. We'll just have to try again. Somehow." He winced of the idea of getting back up and in walking order. His chest hurt, and the constant bouts of hacking didn't make matters any better. He ran his hand through his hair, feeling the grittiness of sand still present. "First. I'd like to take a shower, if I'm able…"

Ameythest called for a nurse, and she said he could bathe with some help. Apparently they wanted him walking around as soon as possible, as it would help his lungs.

"Would you like me to assist you or your wife can if she's able?" The nurse had asked.

Both of them had turned bright red, and Silver quickly responded. "She'll help me, thanks."

And the nurse left, leaving an astounded Ameythest gaping at him.

"What do you mean, 'I'll help you'?! I'm not your wife!"

"No but it's better than one of them, a total stranger." He declared, struggling to push himself up.

She turned beet red. "I dunno if I can-"

"Oh relax." He said. "I have a pair of trunks in my bag there." He pointed to the corner of the room where his small duffel bag was.

Ameythest gave him a curious look, and sifted through the bag for the swim trunks. She steadied him as he sat in the bathroom, he strolling his IV stand, and she closed the door behind them.

"Ok." He said, blushing furiously. "Close your eyes."

"No problem." She muttered, turning her back to him and covering her eyes with her hands for good measure. She heard him shuffle around a bit, and then he coughed. "O-okay." He said, signaling her to turn back around.

Ameythest turned, staring at him. Nothing but a pair of black and red swim trunks on. She felt her jaw drop a little at the sight of his bare chest; the muscles looked like they had been chiseled out of marble. She took a step towards him, holding out her hand for him to grab.

He took it, using it to steady himself as he pushed himself up, moving to the shower and turning the nozzle on before he stepped in. The shower was more like a bathing area, wide and open for people that needed assistance. As soon as the water warmed up, he sat in the seat under the water, letting the water hit him with a satisfying groan.

"Shampoo please." He asked meekly, holding out his hand. She checked the little bottles on the shelving, and handed him the appropriate one.

"Do you want help?" She asked as he lathered the rich soap into his hair rather clumsily, due to the IV.

"Sure." He muttered. "I feel so tired."

"They told you, didn't they?" She began, moving to massage his scalp with her fingers. "The surgery."

He was silent, enjoying the feel of her fingers through his thick, wet hair. "Yes. I'm aware."

"I just feel so guilty." She continued, moving so he could rinse. "I've had my failures before, I mean nobody's perfect…but I just feel like I've lost so much all of a sudden."

"Ameythest." He said firmly, looking up into her face. "None of it is your fault. You tried your best and that's all that matters. I'm not saying it isn't normal to feel guilty, but I do think that it isn't something you should dwell on." He paused for a moment, and then stretched his hand out again. "Conditioner please."

She handed him a bottle, and sighed deeply. "I know. It's just this felt like it was so big and so huge, I don't know how to handle letting it get away like that."

He paused. "You just have to move on and keep going. Trust me. This won't be the first time you fail this hard, it can happen again and again. You can lose constantly and the only thing that can keep you going is the fact that maybe, someday, you'll succeed. Of course. You're already succeeded once."

"Yeah."

"So then what makes you think that you can't succeed again?"

She frowned, hard, taking a deep breath with the words. "Thank you Silver."

"Don't mention it." He rinsed his hair for the last time, and looked up at her. "May I have a towel?"

"Sure." She turned off the water for him, and grabbed a towel from a rack on the wall, draping it around his shoulders.

"Thanks." He stated, trying to dry himself, but pausing. "Um." His face turned visibly red. "Could you get a clean pair of undergarments from my bag for me?"

"Y-yeah, no problem. Just…sit here and don't move." She rushed out the bathroom and dug through his bag again, finding the article of clothing easily and heading back to the bathroom. "Here." She handed them to him, and he nodded an appreciation.

"Thanks…one moment."

She turned around, squeezing her eyes tight. She listened carefully to the shuffling noises behind her, and then the affirmative 'all clear'. A clean hospital garment not on, she helped support him as he walked back into his room.

"Ugh." He stated, looking around. "I was in here for two days? I want to go explore."

"You shouldn't walk too much yet." Ameythest reminded him.

He gestured towards the wheelchair that was parked neatly in the corner. "We can use that."

"Oh. I guess we could." She smiled, and helped him get comfortable in the wheelchair. It had a handy little spot to attach the IV poll so no one had to push it, and she got him a comfortable blanket and slippers. "Comfy?" She asked, smiling.

"I have a small hold in my chest and I'm depending on a needle in my arm for fluids. For the current situation, I'm pretty comfortable." And with that he leaned back and enjoyed the ride.

They visited their Pokémon for a short time, all of them seeming relieved at the sight of their masters improving health, and they spent the rest of the day wandering the garden, reading outside, and visiting the cafeteria. Apparently, for Silver, anything was better than being in that tiny, stifling room. They both still had to watch for the coughing though, as either of them were prone to violent fits of hacking.

But then they would reassure each other, and smile.

And that's when Silver realized something rather peculiar.

Since when does he smile?


	9. Adjustments

**Chapter 8 : Adjustments**

**2 weeks later**

Ameythest paid for the food at the counter, thanking the lady behind it and ducking out of the store as fast as she could. Pyrite Town was one of the gaudiest most spine-chilling places she had ever seen, save for the lone television broadcast tower and the somewhat decent hotel. Other than that, she had grown to dislike walking around alone out here. Especially with all the sand. Ugh, sand…it nauseated her to just think of sand anymore, and here she was. Out in the middle of the freaking desert.

Whoopee.

Her Scizor walked next to her, his wings buzzing threateningly whenever someone got close to them. She found it was a good defense to act tough in this town, where battle rings and unregulated matches reign supreme. The rusty, run-down jail did nothing for her confidence in the place, either. She walked as calmly but as quickly back to the hotel as she could, sighing a bit of relief when she finally made it to the lobby. "Thanks, Scizor." She said, recalling the creature. She worked her way through the circular building coming across one of the smaller rooms and entering the card key easily. The light flashed green, and she pushed the door open.

Silver sat on the bed, his hair freshly combed, and his favorite black and red jacket on. He was practicing his breathing exercises, his post-hospitalized therapy that he has to keep up for at least a month. She stood there silently, just watching him for a minute, as he took in a deep breath and let it slowly out. He did it again, and once more, being interrupted the third time by a light cough that quickly turned into harsh hacking, and he spat the crystal-like muck from his mouth. Afterwards, he took a swig of water from his water bottle on the dresser, grimacing. "Three months they said. We could be hacking on sand for up to three months."

"I know." Ameythest replied, fingering her own inhaler-like device that sat in her pocket. "Nothing we can do about it. You can't exactly scrape a lung out." She sighed. "I'll have it longer than you will. Then didn't have to perform surgery on me."

"Tradeoffs." He grunted, sitting down on the bed. He rubbed the site of the small scar on the side of his chest, coughing slightly. "Burns every time I cough…"

Ameythest didn't respond, her face downcast, and she busied herself with putting the groceries away. "So. Two and a half weeks after our first encounter with the XD, and then nothing, like it disappears or something. Not even Krane can track it anymore."

"That about sums up our mission so far, yes." Silver responded. Ameythest didn't have to look at him to know that he was annoyed.

"So now what? We wait for an appearance? We start recruiting people for a wider search, I mean, what CAN we do?" She had stopped messing with the groceries to star at him, wondering if he had any sort of plan or idea…anything.

"We can't raise alarm in Orre and if Krane can't track it then I have no idea who could. So we wait. For as long as we need."

Ameythest groaned. "I have Pokémon back home I could be taking care of instead of wasting out here in the middle of the desert! I have-" She stopped, listening carefully to the increasingly loud coughing coming from Silver. She frowned, and grabbed his inhalant medicine from the nightstand, handing it to him. She hushed him softly, rubbing his back as he inhaled the medicine. He stood, and she heard the unceremonious spitting in the sink, and he chucked the inhaler across the room, making it thud loudly.

"I HATE this." He stated loudly, not quite yelling or shouting, but his tone held a dangerous edge to it. He walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Ameythest sighed, unsure of how to handle him. The more she learned about him the more of a mystery he seemed to become. He could be nice and understanding but he had a dangerous fiery temper, and he was more than unhappy with the dependant state he was in.

And even though she knew she shouldn't, she still shouldered some of the guilt of not capturing her goal when they had the chance, allowing that fact to weigh down her heart. She frowned, tired of moping already, and grabbed Silver's medicine box from the floor, choosing to chase after him. Making sure she had her hotel key, she closed the door well behind her and ran through the lobby to outside, scanning the immediate area for her bright red-haired partner.

She called out her Scizor, letting it hover around her some as she ran out to the street. She didn't have to run far though, because she stopped dead, spotting Silver, and his Weaville ready to engage a rather hefty man in a Pokémon battle.

Ameythest groaned, he didn't really need to do this, but if it made him feel better, then so be it.

She watched intently as his Weavile quickly dipped and weave out of the opponents Raichu's way. Both were fast Pokémon, but from the looks of it, she would have to say the Weaville was simply better trained, or had more experience. Either way, the match was over quickly, and the loser had to recall his partially frozen Raichu. The bodybuilder threw some smug insults Silvers way, which he retorted coolly and in kind.

"Awfully short for a big time trainer, aintcha pipsqueak?" The loser had said. Ameythest had gotten close enough to listen in.

"I don't have to compensate for anything."

"Why you little runt!"

Silver began to cough. "You-" He coughed harder, much to the amusement of the bodybuilder.

"Aw, poor little guy's got a cold now?"

Silver glared angrily, his fury and frustration snapping. He charged the man with a right yell, and tried to punch him square in the gut. His incessant hacking weakened his force a great bit though, and the bodybuilder grinned evilly.

Ameythest sprinted, knocking Silver out of the way and taking the punch full-force herself.

Silver hit the ground, gasping for air, and Ameythest fell beside him, lolling on her side, and his medicine in her hand. She cringed from the pain of the punch, which had hit her shoulder, but she managed to hand him the little square, and he accepted it, breathing in the medicine carefully. Regaining himself, he stood, and turned to face the man, who had waved them off and walked away.

Scizor hovered over to its owner, helping her stand.

Silver glared down at Ameythest, his steely gaze cold as ever.

She looked up at him, her shoulder burning from the incredibly strong punch. She tried to smile at him, her face unable to hide the wincing.

"Thanks." He managed to say, looking down on her with a softer look. "Let's get you inside, look at that shoulder." He helped steady her, and they walked the short distance back to the hotel in silence. Once inside, Silver sat her down on the bed gently. "You're, uhm…" He paused, trying to figure out a polite way to say it. "Can you take your shirt off?"

Ameythest blushed, nodding slowly. "Turn around." She said meekly, and he complied. She brought the shirt over her head; wincing as she did so, and then she grabbed the blanket sitting next to her and covered herself up, save for the injured shoulder. "You're safe." She said, and she felt Silver move behind her.

"Oh…" He muttered dejectedly. "Ouch."

"Yeah, 'ouch'." She mocked. "What were you doing, picking a fight like that? You know what could have happened if you got punched like that?"

"Back to the hospital…" He recited monotonously.

"Exactly. Back to the hospital. You had surgery on your lungs, you should be really careful in the next couple of months. It's like you don't care about your own health." Her voice grew quieter as she trailed off the last sentence a bit.

"That's because there's more at stake here." He stated simply. He rubbed her injured shoulder gently, feeling where the punch and bruised her.

"So went to pick a fight?"

"I'm frustrated, all right?!" He shouted at her, his voice close to a growl and his fist clenching and unclenching.

"Sorry…" She replied sympathetically.

"It's not you, okay?" He stared at the dresser across from them, at the two square-shaped medicine boxes they both now carried with them. "I'm not dependant on anything. Never have been."

"Silver…" She turned her head to face him, his eyes glazed over, his brows furrowed in deep thought. "Silver, if there's something you want to talk about…"

"No, it's fine. I'm fine." He said quickly, and Ameythest glared at him.

"Really?"

He sighed, exasperated and spent.

"Your frustration reached a boiling point today, and you can't afford that right now." She pressed. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, but please talk to me a little. It might help."

He stared at her, his features turning softer with every passing second. Then he fell forward a little, placing his head on her good shoulder, looking down. "When I was a child…a very young child. I was taken from my parents."

Ameythest felt her eyes grow big, but she sat there patiently, listening intently.

"I had no idea where I was from or what my parents looked like. But I did eventually escape. And I did some things…I wasn't a very good kid. A thief, a scoundrel…I took things by force, and didn't think anything of it. Didn't care enough. And then I met these people. A couple of them I knew more than others, but these…really nice people. The accepted me. Protected me, even. And after a while, I managed to…to find my father." His hands grasped Ameythests shoulders, though he was careful to not his the sore part of the injured one. She flinched as she noticed his hands were shaking.

"The moment I found out who he was, I had never felt so utterly horrified in my entire life. That moment…" His hands shook a little more. "It was the moment I realized…I could never have a real family. I coul-" He coughed violently, forcing him to reach for his medicine.

Ameythest grabbed it for him though, and she watched as he took the medicine, not looking up. He inhaled it deeply, his fists clenched, gripping the comforter. Still not looking up. His shoulders shook. "My father is Giovanni, the head of Team Rocket."

She stared at him, wide-eyed and disbelieving. Doubt filled her entire head, and she looked down on Silver, watching his red hair fall down around his face, and he finally broke down, tears streaming down his face as he sobbed uncontrollably.

Ameythest sat down, gently touching his back, and she moved in to try to hug him.

He clasped into her thin frame, his head buried in the crook of her good shoulder. He continued to sob, sitting there and crying all his frustration and aggression out in the shoulder of this girl, this one small nobody girl that he had known for three weeks.

"I've had so-so little to call my own." He confessed between sobs. "So little…"

She gently stroked his hair and patted his back. His hair was so soft to the touch, thick and light. She just sat there, stroking him and holding him gently, not even realizing or caring that there was nothing but a blanket and a thin undergarment between him and her. Finally he began to settle down; his sobbing quickly turning into slow, interrupted hiccups.

"I'm sorry…" He managed to say. Everything about him was red and swollen from the emotional outburst. "That was uncalled for."

"I think the opposite is true." She replied, handing him a damp washcloth. He wiped his face neatly, feeling refreshed at the gesture.

"This doesn't leave the room…" He said rather glaringly.

"No problem." She frowned, glancing at him shortly. "Do you feel better?"

He paused, assessing himself for a moment. "Yes." He decided. "I think I feel much better now."

"Good. Then no more life-threatening escapades?"

"Not until we at least find XD again." He sighed, wiping his face once with his sleeve. They had taken to calling their target 'XD' so they could talk about it in public without arising much suspicion. Whenever someone asked, they would reply, 'Oh, just a friend we're looking for. He thinks 'XD' sounds cool.'

"I know you didn't have to do all that." Ameythest said to him, trying to look into his avoiding eyes. "But if it counts for anything, I'm glad you did."

"I don't know what possessed me to say all that stuff." He glared defensively. "But I do feel better…about everything I suppose."

Ameythest smiled, and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. It wasn't until after she had stood and turned, then walked three steps in the opposite direction did she realize what she had actually done.

And Silver just sat there in shock, staring at her.


	10. Great Aid

**Ch 9 : Great Aid**

"So are we going to talk about it?" He asked.

"No." She replied, incredibly insistent on dropping the matter.

"But you kissed me."

"I kissed your _forehead,_ it was a motherly moment after you had a small but probably very much needed emotional breakdown. So therefore it means nothing."

He smirked, walking cockily with his hands in his pockets. "I don't believe you." He said.

"What do you MEAN you don't believe me?"

"I mean, I think you're attracted to me."

Ameythest hid her groan of dismay. Yes, he was gorgeous, with the hair, and the chiseled abs, and those inexplicable silver eyes that pierced your very soul. "So what if I am?" She retorted, deciding on the alternate route of evasion. Spearhead tactics. "I mean. What's that mean to you?"

Silver was silent for a moment, advancing towards her slowly. They were still in their hotel room, opting to stay where they were and travel less for just a few more days, unless any clues came up. "What do you mean to me, Ameythest?" He said the question aloud, quizzically. "Maybe I'm still trying to figure that part out. But I do know one thing."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" She asked carefully, not sure whether she wanted to hear his answer or not.

"You…make me smile." He said the words awkwardly.

"I…I what?"

"You make me smile." He repeated, hoping it didn't sound very strange. "I've never known anyone that could make me smile. Its…weird."

"It is?" She looked at him ludicrously. "No one has ever made you smile before?"

"Not like this." He admitted.

She cocked an eyebrow, still wondering if she would ever figure out this puzzle of a man. His range of emotions was expanding before her eyes. It wasn't something she didn't expect, having spent near a month with him now, but it did feel different with him. She felt a growing sense of trust. He stood there, staring at her with a uniquely blank face. It made her giggle, which caused him to tilt his head in confusion. "I don't understand you, Silver." She admitted. "But I like you well enough. And I really must thank you."

"Thank me?"

"Well if you haven't come along and picked me up from my quiet little life I would never had experienced this kind of adventure."

"Maybe that's not a good thing."

"Maybe it is!" She yelled back a little too harshly. Frowning, she contemplated her short outburst, which had Silver staring at her in mild surprise. It really was what she wanted, standing here in a hotel room, sharing the same space with a man barely known to her for near a solid month. It's exactly what her life needed to rejuvenate her drive. She had been living what she thought was her dream for what seemed like such a short time in, but only now, standing away from it, did she realize that there was still something more to discover for herself, and even though she proclaimed exuberance and excitement every day, it all seemed suddenly so lackluster in her heart.

"No it really is what was best for me." She stated, emphasizing the point to Silver as well as herself.

He sighed, shrugging in defeat. "If you say so."

An uncomfortable silence fell into the room, neither really knowing what to say next.

"Wanna go get some lunch?" Ameythest finally asked.

"Sure." Silver replied flatly.

The exited the room, and Ameythest smiled at him. "So what do you like to eat?"

"Um. Noodles are good, I guess."

"Just plain noodles?"

"I dunno, I haven't tried a lot of different things."

"Well maybe we should change that…"

Ameythest tightened the scarf around her neck as they sped through the desert, securing her protective gear a bit tighter around her mouth and nose. She had Silver both had to be very careful about sand inhalation at this point, both still having occasional bouts of coughing fits.

She glanced at Silver, his steely gaze focused on the desert ahead of him as he steered the recovered and repaired hovercraft around the sandy dunes. She then turned her head, looking up at their new third party member that Oak had sent to help them, their 'backup'. At twenty-two years old, Ruby was a bit younger than herself and Silver, but she had heard of him. Of course all of his fame came from his incredible contest wins, and the prissy boy fussed about the desert more than she ever thought possible.

"Oh it's so dirty out here!" He cried in complaint. "And you two, those gross gaudy outfits…why not wear something a bit more stylish?" He began to dig through his bag unwittingly.

Ameythest just shook her head, wondering how he was going to survive out here. Or course he couldn't have forgotten already that they were still trying to get better from their last major encounter with shadow Lugia, but he chose to complain nonetheless.

Krane had been able to locate and track their targets signal not too long ago, somewhere north of Agate village. Ruby had been with them less than a day and he had been smiling in excitement. "I must be a good luck charm or something!" He exclaimed happily. "I mean you've been out here quite a while with no luck, right?"

Oak had done as Ameythest had asked and not the let the full extent of Silver's incident be known. As far as everyone else knew, it was just a mild temporary condition.

"Yes." Ameythest replied to him. "It really has been frustrating."

"I bet! But don't worry, we'll nab him this time!"

"I'm sure." Silver grumbled. Ruby's cheerful attitude was putting him in a foul mood.

The drove for a few hours, Ruby chatting on and on about things the other two riders didn't particularly care about. The scenery had changed from dry, dead desert to lush greenery at some point though, and Ameythest tugged off her protective gear in relief. "This is much better." She said, letting her goggled hang around her neck.

Silver did the same, although he had difficulty getting the scarf off one-handed.

"Let me get that for you." She smiled, offering to help him as he struggled with the now needless garment.

"I can get it."

"Nah, we don't want to hit a tree. I can get it."

"I said its fine!"

"Fine, you get it then!"

He did manage, with some difficulty. "See?" Proving his point, he dropped the scarf at his side.

"Show off."

Ruby laughed from behind them. "You two act like some kind of petty couple." He remarked, earning death glares from both Ameythest and Silver.

Silver returned his gaze forward, his brows knitted together in concentration. "Something's off." He said.

"What, what is it?" Ameythest looked at him expectantly. She had come to recognize that worried tone in his voice.

"We should be plenty north of Agate by now." He said frowning. "Krane said it was north possibly heading south…did it change direction?" His head shifted left and right, his eyes searching for any inkling of disturbances.

"I'll call him." Ameythest said quickly, digging out a phone from her pocket and dialing the number.

Even Ruby had stopped talking.

"Hello professor? Has XD changed course on us, we're nearing its last known-oh."

"What is it?" Silver pressed.

"Head north west." She responded, trying to listen intently to Krane on the other side of the phone.

Silver shifted their path, increasing the speed of the craft.

"Okay. Thanks professor." She hung up. "He said that XD shifted its course not too long ago, and something seemed off about its movements."

"'Off' how?" The driver asked insistently.

"Dunno. Said it was really strange, though."

"Guys!" Ruby piped up from the back. "Look over there!"

Ameythest strained to see what Ruby's extended arm was pointing at, but through the thickening trees she spotted a very unnatural-looking storm cloud. Far-off thunder was suddenly in earshot, and she realized the storm was heading their way fast. Ludicrously fast.

"S-Silver…"

"I see it!" He shouted, bringing the car to a halt. "It's headed right towards us, we should get ready to intercept it!"

The trio jumped out of the car, and Ameythest watched, surprised, as Ruby adjusted a pair of goggled over his eyes.

"What are you-?" She began, but he held a hand up.

"They're prescription." He said. "I'm nearsighted, but I don't like wearing glasses. This is for emergencies only."

She could only afford to stare at him a second more, trying to understand how a boy came to be so vain. "Whatever."

"Ok, I have a plan this time." Silver said, turning to face his two companions. "Ameythest, as you know, you're the only one of us with the accuracy to be able to catch that thing. You and I are going by air, I'll try to distract it best I can, maybe weaken it a bit with Weaville's ice attacks. You focus on getting close and getting in as many shots as possible. There's lightning up there, but your Tropius's grass type will help. Ruby, you're our ground support. That wind is our number one issue, if Ameythest aim is perfect it won't mean much if her throw is blown off course, even a little. We've gotta ground that thing if we can."

"Right." Ruby agreed, and Ameythest couldn't help being impressed by his sudden change of attitude.

"Ameythest." Silver stared at her dead in the face. "You ready?"

She looked back at him, his stature unmoving, he was far more ready for this than she could ever be. She swallowed, feeling a small part of her fear disappear, and she nodded with determination. "Ready as ever."

"Wait until it gets close enough." He warned, and they watched as the dark, swirling clouds approached them fast, thunder and lightning suddenly seeming like it was all around them. "Nearly there!" He shouted against the wind, and they each let out a pokemon. Ameythest had barely settled onto Tropius before Silver took off, flying directly into the swirling storm. She tightened her grip around Tropius's neck and the pokemon took off quickly, braving the stormy winds as the ominous call of the corrupt pokemon pierced their ears.

"Augh, not that noise again-" She muttered to herself, realizing something seemed suddenly off. The wind seemed to be fighting itself, like there was a second storm blowing against the Lugia's…

He grip on Tropius tightened when she saw the ball of electricity and wind rush past her, being shot straight through the windy vortex to the heart of the storm. A loud, mournful cry was heard as she saw the shadowy figure of Lugia get struck by the attack, it wings flapping pathetically for a moment. She spun her head around, spotting Ruby and what looked like a Castform standing their ground dutifully. So that's why he was sent. His Castform could take any weather condition and turn it against the opponent. She stared as he conjured a second weather ball, and Ameythest's determination felt renewed.

"I've gotta help them bring it down…" She thought hard. What could do it? "Silver!" She called, her Tropius struggling to fly. She spotted Silver, dodging and weaving a deadly-looking blast coming from the center of the vortex. He had no luck getting in close either.

"Chandelure!" She released the ghost, watching it float gently in the air, unhindered by the strong wings or stray lightning. "Fire Spin!" She cried, and the pokemon made its ominous call. She and her Tropius hovered a little further away, and she made sure Silver was far enough away as well. Chandelure mustered all the energy it could, sending an enormous stream of flames towards the Lugia's storm, the winds dying nearly instantly and replaced by an intense heat. The fire spin didn't last long, and XD001 broke free with a powerful thrust of its wings. Only now, it was entirely exposed, its discolored body sending shivers down her spine. "SHADOW BALL!" She cried quickly, determined to bring down the beast. Chandelure complied, hurdling the deadly ball of ghost energy at XD001. It hit, along with another deadly charged weather ball from Ruby Castform, and Ameythest spotted Honchkrow attack Lugia with its deadly claws.

Lugia roared out in pain and surprise, giving a few fast flaps of its wings to stay steady in the air.

"AGAIN!" Ameythest cried, ordering her Chandelure forward. Chandelure complied.

"Tropius, attack with stomp!" She felt the pokemon shudder beneath her, his wings flapping and he sped towards their target, flying above it. Lugia was struck by two more attacks of deadly energy, and Ameythest held on for dear life as Tropius dive-bombed it, putting all its weight and force on its front two legs, which hit it square in the head, knocking it closer to the ground.

Lugia cried out again, weakened from the onslaught.

"Tropius, now's our chance! Chandelure, keep FIRING!"

Tropius swerved to get under the large creature, and Ameythest spotted her exact target. The spot where its heart was, right at its chest. She fingered the friend ball in her hand carefully, letting the smooth surface cool her sweating palms. It had to be dead-on. It had to be a friend ball. It HAD to work…

She took a deep, slow breath, letting all the encouragement Silver had given her over the course of the month really sink in. Thoughts of home and her family guided her arm and calculations. This could save lives, she realized suddenly.

She tossed it, mustering all her force into the throw and carefully timing her release and hold. The ball went spinning, flying fast towards its target, hitting it dead-center.

"YES!" Ameythest screamed, watching the large bird get sucked into the ball with a flash of bright light. She and her pokemon landed quickly, herself jumped two feet to get to the ground faster and running towards the ball. It was barely shaking, and the red light on the indicator was there for a split second before turning white, ensuring her capture.

"We. Did it." The first feelings that ran through her were elation and joy, but then she quickly realized, that this entire travelling adventure had just come to a sudden, screeching halt.


	11. Phone Call

**Ch 10: Phone Call**

Ameythest stood in front of her own house like it was a strangers place. With XD001 secured in Krane's lab, he would research for a way to help the poor creature. Ruby had departed suddenly and happily, bragging that his presence alone had brought just the thing they needed to finish the mission quickly and efficiently.

Silver stared at her, waiting politely. "Well." He urged. "Go home then."

She turned back to him, feeling like going inside would mean something she couldn't stand to think about. It was finality, going back to the things she was doing before, and the thought of it seemed suddenly, and strangely, empty. "Will you come in?"

"No." He said simply. "I said that our partnership ended with the job, and I meant it. Thank you for your help, really. You displayed great talent and skill, as well as bravery."

"Will you come visit me sometime?"

The question was sudden, and he stared at her, pondering the question like it was completely unexpected. "I don't know." He replied honestly.

"Oh." Her gaze faltered, and she felt something in her heart sink. "That's okay though. I've got what I wanted back, so…"

"Yeah. See you around." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned to walk away.

"Bye." She nearly whispered the word, sighing heavily and turning the knob on her front door. Stepping inside the house she lived in after a month away was like stepping into a dream. Home had felt so far away for a long time, and she inhaled the now odd smell of her own house.

"Ameythest!" Her mother cried, spying her walking through the front hallway and tackling her with a big hug. "Oh I'm so glad you're all right! We were getting so worried, you'd never gone off quite like that before…"

"Hi, mom." Ameythest smiled, happy to see her family again. "How were things while I was gone?"

"Quiet, actually." Her mother stated thoughtfully. "The crowds are getting a bit bigger during the weekends, but we didn't have too much problem with your pokemon, though I think some of them are getting a little anxious without you here."

"I'll make some rounds." Ameythest said happily, removing her backpack and starting back out the door.

"You just got home! Surely you're tired?"

"Ah, no time for that!" She replied. "I've got a job to do, after all."

A week passed, and then a month. Then two months. The more time passed the more Ameythest felt like her one month absence from home was just a small, fleeting moment in her life. For awhile, the medicine kept the adventure fresh in her mind, as did the coughing. But as those faded away, so did her clarity of the memory. She sometimes dreamed about it, vividly, but the more she dreamt the more it felt like a dream. And she went through her life, day after day, doing the same thing over and over again, happiness and pride welling whenever she looked at her accomplished work and saw happy faces running around the walkways. Happy pokemon, happy people, and her happy family. Four months since her trip to Orre, and she began to feel listless in her daily routine, feeling a strange emptiness move in where excited faces once stood. Five months. She frowned, aimlessly wandering about her own zoo, petting her pokemon absent mindedly, some of them looking up at her in worry. Finally, one night, she found herself stopped in the walkway between the psychic house and her barn-like shelter. Frustration boiled in her head, and she kicked the ground furiously.

"STUPID, SELFISH, MORONIC ME!" She screamed, caring for nothing in particular than venting her so far very well hidden aggravation. "I should be thrilled! I'm living my damn dream, aren't I? I'm so lucky, right?!" She punched a nearby tree, immediately regretting it as the sharp bark dug into her soft skinned hand. She hissed in pain, shaking the injured appendage and growling about how it seemed like a good idea in movies.

"Why do I feel like something is suddenly missing?!" She cried, quite literally, as wet dewy drops began to flow freely from her face. "Why am I being so damn selfish?" She dropped to her knees, resting her head against the tree. "I AM happy." She said it to herself, finding the words to be true if she managed to say them honestly. She placed her hand on her chest, her life feeling like an unfinished puzzle, a vital part of the picture missing.

"I miss Silver…" She admitted finally, closing her eyes as she remembered his vivid features. His lean form, his cold, piercing eyes that rarely sparkled, his cocky grin, and his thick, gorgeous red hair, a bit sticking up and the ends spiked out around his shoulders strangely. In her minds eyes they suddenly seemed fuzzy, and she hit her head against the tree hard, as if the jolt would knock the more intimate details back into her memory. Of course, all it served was to introduce a thick cut above her eye, blood running down the side of her face. "Augh!" She winced. "Why did I do that?!"

She sat there, in the dark and pouting, her hand stinging and her head pounding, blood smearing one side of her face. She thought it was a silly notion, missing him so much. She had ignored the feeling when it first appeared, filling her day with busy work to keep her mind focused. It was all a distraction at this point, one giant happy distraction. He was a mentor, a friend, a companion for a solid while, and she suddenly missed his company, his cold, judgmental gaze over everything and his solid stance when he stood commanding everything at his attention.

She felt herself blush, letting her smitten feelings warm her chest and invade her mind. Thinking about how her first major slip up and landed him in the hospital made her nauseous, remembering his sudden and heartfelt soul-spilling made her heart leap for his sake. And just once, she remembered his smile. A true, honest smile that he thought he hid from her. One that she caught from other the mess of red hair. She felt the tears in her eyes as she realized something she had refused to acknowledge before this point; the fact that she had true, genuine feelings for him. Whether as a friend of something more didn't matter, but her heart beat in her chest fast at the thought of not seeing him for another second even. It's been so long now though it seemed ridiculous that it mattered, but oh did it suddenly matter, it mattered so much.

She took a deep, slow breath, trying to calm herself down to a more sensible state of reasoning. There was no way she could do anything about it tonight, right? She paused, a sudden thought crossing her mind. Standing up, she bolted back to her house.

Her mother spun in surprise as she burst through the door, a bewildered look fixed upon the younger woman.

"What on earth-?"

"Not now mom!" Ameythest shouted, taking the stairs two at a time to her room. She flung her closet wide open, searching for the jacket she wore all those months ago. Some digging showed that it had fallen on the floor, slipping off its hangar at some point, landing in a heap in the back corner of the small closet. She clawed for the material, furiously digging at the pockets. She felt the slip of paper and pulled it out, straightening it out so she could read the faded numbers. "Yes." She couldn't stop the smile spreading on her face. She ran back downstairs, screeching to a halt in front of her videophone, dialing the number too fast, having to re-enter it once.

It only rang twice, and a tired-looking professor Oak yawned a greeting. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Professor Oak! This is important!"

Oak blinked, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. "Ameythest? You memorized my number?"

"I- sorry. I just thought…"

"Nevermind." He sighed, gently massaging his temple with his fingers. "Is there something you need?"

"How do I get in contact with Silver?"

"Silver?" He sounded surprised. "Hm…I'm sorry Ameythest, but I'm not sure if he's all too keen on you contacting him."

Ameythest felt the warm glow in her chest dim like a candle being snuffed out. "What do you mean?"

"He said there was some rising complications after your little journey together. It's not really any of my business to pry, you know…"

"Professor please." Ameythest pleaded. "I just have to talk to him. Just for a minute."

"Well…" Oak sighed defeatedly. "All right…if it's so urgent."

He gave her a number, and she scribbled it down on the other side of the scrap of paper. "Thank you!"

"Not a problem. Now, good night."

"Good night professor!" The call ended, and Ameythest took a slow breath, dialing the new number into the videophone.

* * *

Silver dried his hair off carefully, throwing the used towel carelessly into a hamper. He sat in his lonely couch, a strong drink waiting for him on the end table and a decent television show was sure to be at this time of night. He hadn't had that much to do lately, odd jobs here and there to pay the bills, but nothing serious. He wondered for the millionth time if he should take Ameythest up on her offer to visit, but the thought made an angry scowl cross his face.

After his return home he realized just how foolish she made him feel, with their bantering, and the story telling, and worst of all, he had really started to open up to her.

He was still trying to figure out if this was a good or bad thing. Logic told him it was probably good, but his deflective personality said otherwise. This wasn't a friend that had grown up with him, nor was it someone he knew he could trust right away. But he felt a strange tugging in his chest, a notion of willingness to talk to her, about anything and everything. Instead of figuring it out for himself, he sat on his couch, watched TV and had a good, strong drink to go to bed on. Her face sometimes floated into his head, and he began to remember her other, more prominent features. She seemed so meek at first glance, but such a fierce determination when she found the motivation. He absent-mindedly brushed his fingers against the diminishing scar where he had his surgery, remembering the drastic change in her attitude after the unfortunate incident. She barely noticed anything outside of the facts before then, remaining completely focused for the first few days and showing no consideration whatsoever. And then, like a switch had been flipped, she began to notice her surroundings more, pick up on details and sympathize with others, even beyond himself.

He shook his head, the thoughts making his head feel fuzzy and clouding his judgment. The clear ringing of the phone commanded his full attention, and he sighed, pulling on a shirt and answering the call to stop the annoying ringing.

On the screen in front of him was a soft face bearing two gorgeous lavender orbs that made up her eyes, her hair frazzled and hanging awkwardly around her face.

How the hell?


	12. Attacks

**Chap 11: Attacks**

Oh. My. God. Silver stared at the screen in disbelief.

"Silver!" She cried enthusiastically. She seemed happy to see him. No, wait, more than happy. Exuberant?

"What? How did you get my number?!" He demanded.

"Well I still had professor Oaks number from that time you gave it to me so I called him and he said not to bother you but I had to!"

He groaned, burying his face into a palm of his hand. "You bothered Oak?" He then disregarded that fact quickly. "And what do you mean you 'had to'?"

At this she paused, her delight quickly diminishing. "I-I really did have to. You see…Silver…I've missed you."

Silver stared, put into total disbelief for the second time. Ameythest was blushing furiously, obviously fighting the urge to turn away from the screen from embarrassment.

"I've thought it over." She continued. "And I thought about asking you to meet me, maybe, but I've just gotta get it off my chest." She swallowed hard. "I know I've accomplished a lot. I also realize I am so much luckier than most people. But right now, I feel like something is missing. A big, giant hole in my life that's sucking all the happiness of my previous efforts out of me like a sponge!"

Silver still didn't say anything. He wasn't really sure what _to_ say.

"I realized that you and I were just partners, a job to do that required my help, a strictly business-type situation. But you…you've become a friend to me. At least you did. I don't know. But I've been feeling more and more empty, and a little on the lonely side. I realized you gave me a real, true friend when you took me away from my home. I'm not sure I've ever even had a real friend before. I never stopped to help anyone before…"

She was so oblivious. So blissfully unaware before, and now that her eyes were opening she became filled with a sense of guilt. And it was because of him.

"Please, come meet me?"

He swallowed, his mouth feeling dry. "You think that much of me, huh?" He asked her simply.

She looked at him through the screen. "Sort of. It took me awhile to realize it. I'm really unsure about this. I've never been good at handling unexpected…anything."

Silver sank down, plopping in the chair in front of his videophone. He felt an awkward smile curl his lips, and chuckled. "You handled yourself pretty well in Orre." He remarked, giving her a sly look.

"I think that's because you were with me…" She said slowly, taking his comment more seriously than he intended.

"I see." He frowned, watching her confused look.

"I've never tackled anything that I couldn't handle before. But you pushed me to my limits, and I really do thank you for that."

"Ah, don't worry about it." He sighed. "Listen…I've been thinking…maybe I've been a bit lonely too, lately. I'd like to come visit you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, honestly. I want to visit." Truth be told, he'd been on the fence about it for quite a while.

"Oh, okay. So I'll see you sometime soon?"

"In a couple of days, yeah." He reassured.

"All right. I'll see you then."

"Yep. Bye."

The call ended, and Silver stared coolly at the screen for a good minute or so. He wasn't sure how he'd feel seeing Ameythest again, but he hoped it would help him get over whatever strange feelings he had been trying to deal with since he had returned home.

* * *

Ameythest sighed contentedly, feeling like a large weight had been lifted from her chest. She grinned shamelessly, thinking that the next couple of days couldn't come fast enough.

* * *

They really couldn't come fast enough, she thought as she drummed her fingers against the stone bench she was sitting on. Three more days had passed, and each day the anxiety made her chest tight. She realized she had to confess to him, it would be silly not to. Some girls would rather stand around and wait for the guy of their dreams to notice them, but it never ended well. No, better be straight out with him, even if it was going to be difficult. Ameythest scanned the crowd for the millionth time that day, having running out of chores to keep her mind occupied for the time being. It was decidedly easier to do, now that she knew what her emotions meant and how to handle them a little better.

Just confess. When he arrives, say 'Silver, I think I love you'. That's all it was going to take.

She took a deep breath, wondering why so few words seemed like they would be nearly impossible to actually speak.

She scanned the crowd again, looking for that mess of thick red hair. She tried not to be disappointed when she didn't find him, but her heart fell a little when what she was looking for didn't come into view. She did, however, spy something odd in its place. A man wearing a brown leather jacket had been staring into the same pen for quite some time. It didn't even look like he was enjoying himself, and it seemed like he was surveying the area rather than looking at it for fun. She frowned, red warnings going off in her head at the suspicious behavior.

Taking a deep breath, she stood from her seat and put on her best false smile to blend in with the majority of the crowds. The man still hadn't moved, and she casually strode up next to him, pretending to enjoy watching the pokemon in the enclosure run and play happily. She watched him for a short time out of the corner of her eye, realizing that his eyes were glued to an off-color Serperior that slept peacefully in the shade. She frowned, the shiny Serperior had been a trade from a very good friend of hers from her previous travels. And no way was some shit of a man going to try to steal her beloved pokemon.

He finally moved, spinning quickly on his heels and walking briskly away. Ameythest stared down his back strangely, and spun to follow him, trying her best to hide behind the crowd. He managed to quickly disappear from her view, however, and she swore under her breath. She wandered around for a bit more, trying to keep an eye out for either of the two people that she now had set her determination on finding. It didn't take too long though, before she realized that something strange was going to happen.

Her mind and ears were suddenly filled with the ringing of explosions, and she felt dust and rock fly into her face. Bright, deadly beams peppered the entire area, and Ameythests head spun skyward to see the attackers. Half a dozen dragonite swirled above them firing hyper beams and other various ray-based attacks.

"Oh no you don't…" Ameythest muttered, and she grabbed a small whistle that hung around her neck, giving one long blast on it. Immediately the pokemon around her mobilized, her personally trained capable strong pokemon rallying around her defensively and the weaker ones unable to defend much retreated behind them. "Defend!" She ordered. She watched as her own Pidgeot, Farfetched, and other flying types soared to drive off the intruders, her land-based pokemon firing beams and rays of all sorts. She ran through the panicked streets, blowing the same single, long blast over and over again. She knew a collection this size would be a target for thieves and big time underworld organizations. Her emergency protocol plan was going rather smoothly, however, and she grinned in confidence.

People were rushing to leave the area, and Ameythest watched in dismay as parents were having their own personal pokemon protect the kids. She frowned, and sprinted to the psychic house, blowing into her whistle.

They had all already gathered outside, looking up in concentration as they focused their mental energy on the attackers above. "Metagross, Sloking." She addressed them specifically. "We're going up." Metagross's legs retracted and it hovered easily above the ground, and she helped her Sloking up onto the large metal pokemon before climbing up herself. "Metagross, up!" They shot skyward, and stopped right below the battle in the sky. Ameythest looked up, seeing the light sheen of the invisible barrier that her psychic pokemon had collectively put together. "It needs to be stronger." She muttered to herself. "Metagross, Sloking, reflect." She watched as the two went into a trance-like state, their eyes glowing brightly. "Let back in our pokemon, but keep the Dragonite out." They would have to maintain a close enough distance from the center of the barrier to keep it strong enough to deflect attacks. She watched as her entire collection of flying types recognized what was happening and dove back down under the safety of the now-solid protective sphere covering the area.

Her Pidgeot hovered next to her, offering a ride. She moved from the Metagross to the large bird easily.

"Ameythest!" She heard the call from below her, and strained her neck to see who it was. A large Honchkrow with a red-headed rider was flying towards them fast.

"Silver?" She shouted. "SILVER!" She grinned suddenly, waving her arm in the air frantically.

"LOOK UP!" He shouted back, and Ameythest turned her attention back to above the barrier, watching as a large, fast aircraft shadowed overtop of them.

"The hell is that?!" She wondered aloud, and her eyes widened in shock as a huge, black pokemon appeared from the side of the ship, a dragon looking thing roaring loudly and glowing slightly blue. "What IS THAT?!" She called again, watching in horror as a bright blue electric burst shot quickly from the creature, and the last thing she remembered was the sound of sizzling electricity and the burnt smell of lightning as the heat zipped around her in the air.


	13. Realizations

**Chap 12: Realizations**

Ameythest felt herself slowly regain consciousness, the weariness wearing down her hands and eyelids oddly. She felt her eyes flutter open, a bright, blinding light filling her vision. She groaned, fighting the tired feeling as she raised her hand to shield her eyes. An odd tugging at the back of her hand caused her mind to grow more alert, and she tried to push herself up.

She found it nearly impossible, however, and realized that she was on a stretcher in what looked like a very tiny room. The tugging on her hand she noticed was an IV, and she must have been on some very heavy pain drugs, because her head felt like a lead weight.

Then sound filled her ears as a rush of air hit her face, and she saw a medic leap into the back of the ambulance. "Oh, good you're awake. That's a good sign." He talked quickly.

"What happened?" Ameythest asked, fighting to orient herself.

"You were hit with a powerful electric blast. It seems you had some very good defenses up, thanks to your Pokémon."

"Oh, wow." She reeled at the information, having a very difficult time absorbing any of it in her drugged state. "And…my home?"

"Safe." He said. "Look, you're pulling through pretty well, but there are more injured out there. I'll be back in a few to check on you, all right?" He looked at her, making sure she was listening. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She responded, trying to sit up. "I'll just sit here."

"Yeah. Do that." And with that, he jumped out of the ambulance, leaving one door open.

She squinted to see out the one open door, and realized it was dark out. How long was she out? She sat there pondering, wondering what kind of condition everything was. With the dragonites and the large ship…and what was with that black Pokémon? Her arms felt wrapped, and she noticed that there were plenty of small burns and cuts covering her entire body. "My Pokémon…!" She realized with a jolt, and suddenly felt a bit helpless that she couldn't just get up and leave to check on them all herself. Then again…

She stared at the IV in her arm, and knew any grogginess was from whatever meds were coursing through her bloodstream. Taking a deep breath, she plucked out the IV from her hand and let it drop to the floor, easing herself off of the stretcher and making her way out of the ambulance. Outside, red and blue light flashed, making her wince, and there seemed to be plenty of injured still lying about, being tended to by whatever medics were available. She stumbled out of the ambulance, trying to make her way back to her home, to look at the fields that made up her zoo. She spotted a few police cars, and a rather odd looking man talking to one of the officers. Curious, she tried to get a better look at him. He was tall, pitch-black hair and wearing a red and white jacket and baseball cap. Next to him was a Pokémon she had never seen before, tall and purple, with a catlike face. Just by the way he stood she could tell he was a man of great confidence, and she wondered what he was doing here with such a strange Pokémon.

Either way, it probably wasn't her business, and she fought to keep steady as she approached closer to her home. The flashing lights of the emergency vehicles were very bright at night, and as she reached the gate she could clearly tell what damage had been done. It wasn't too bad, a couple of torn up fences and a hole or two that would need to be filled, but mostly small time clean up other than that. "I just hope they're all okay…" She murmured to herself, and decided it was time to find an officer to talk to. It didn't take long to find one, but it was some doing getting his attention.

"Sir…" She called out, and the officer just walked her by. "SIR!" She shouted sternly, gaining his attention at least. He turned, facing her with the most annoyed look on his face.

"I need to know how many people have been hurt." She asked.

The cop frowned. "I don't know if I should give you that information." He seemed very stern.

"Please, this is my place. I need to know how many have been hurt and if any of my Pokémon was stolen."

He paused, and retrieved a notepad from his pocket, reviewing a couple of pages before he addressed her. "Well we've had over thirty injured, none too seriously, and no casualties thank God. And after talking to all the staff members, they confirmed that no Pokémon had been successfully stolen, even though some shady good for nothings had tried in all the commotion. Those three are in custody down at the station now."

Ameythest sighed a large breath of relief, happy to hear the good news. "Who were they?" She asked more to herself than the officer.

"Who knows. There are plenty of syndicates established all over this world. It could have been the Rockets, easy, though they've been inactive for a few years at least." His thoughts seem to wander on that last sentence.

"Well, glad to hear everyone is all right." She sat down, feeling a bit nauseated. "Thanks for the info."

"You all right?" He asked, though he didn't sound overly concerned.

"Fine. Just a little dazed…" She frowned, her gaze aimed at the ground. She was forgetting something, something important, something that she should have remembered instantly…

"AMEYTHEST!" A voice screamed strained and in a panic. "Ameythest!"

"Oi, stop your yelling!" The officer broke off from her, approaching the shouting person.

"Where is she?!" The same voice demanded, and Ameythest looked up in sudden recognition.

"Silver?"

Next thing she knew a pair of comforting arms had grasped her round the neck, fast and tight, and the thick red hair was being shoved in her mouth by their closeness. He squeezed her, whispering feelings of relief that seemed to fall in her ears. "Why did you leave your bed?" He asked sternly, his voice thick with worry.

"S-sorry…my Pokémon…the ones that protected me…"

His grip loosened, and she looked up at him and his clear, glistening silver eyes. "You should really worry about yourself once in awhile, huh?"

"Never had time for it." The joke made herself laugh, and he just chuckled lightly. Her humor disappeared when she noticed just how scraped and bruised he was, though, and her small smile faltered into a worried, creased frown.

"What did you do to yourself?" She asked him, placing her hand on a deep gash in his cheek.

Silver started to speak, but closed his mouth, thinking better of it. He shook his head. "Not much. I called in a friend for some backup; he helped me drive away those thieves."

"How'd he get here so fast?"

"He…has his ways. We're actually very lucky, it's pretty hard to get in touch with him…he can be a bit of a loner."

"So why'd you call him if you didn't think he'd answer?"

Silver shrugged. "I was a little…desperate." He admitted it sheepishly. "I saw you get hit, and then you fell, so far and fast, and…I just-I couldn't catch you in time, and I really began to worry." His gloved hand rested on her cheek, and he rested his forehead against hers. "Seeing you hurt made me so angry."

"Silver…" She whispered his name gently, moving her gaze to look into his eyes. "Silver, I love you."

The words made him jolt in surprise, his body shuddering the slightest bit. He looked up slightly, matching her gaze, his mouth slightly agape. "…you mean that?" He asked stupidly, and she just looked up at him, their faces so close they could feel each others' breath on their cheek.

"Yeah. I think I do. I think-"

He sentence was cut off as Silver kissed her deeply, his arms clamped around her back and his hand supporting her head as he molded his body against hers. Their lips tingled with the sensation and Silver nipped and kissed at her, exploring her mouth with his tongue with an insatiable appetite. After several minutes they finally broke off the kiss, both breathing deeply and blushing furiously.

It took him a moment to realize just how good, how RIGHT it felt to kiss her, and how all his confused emotions suddenly fell into place as this small, fragile looking girl in front of him had lit a fire in his heart that had tried to quench itself with her absence. She was suddenly everything to him, someone who supported him and that he could support, a girl with the determination to do anything. He then knew that he was most attracted to her when she had caught XD001, the exact moment when she stared at that poke ball in disbelief, and then smiled at him and asked 'so, what's our next goal?'

Modest but a bit proud in different ways, and the single most determined person he's ever met, she was rarely shaken and tried her best to be honest. He hugged her again, holding her close, as he realized that she was just so easy to talk to, so easy to tell the truth to, and he wanted her to be there to listen whenever she could.

"Ameythest…would you like to do something with me this weekend?" He asked her breathlessly, cupping her face with his hands.

"I think I would enjoy that very much." She replied lightly, a gentle smile gracing her face. She wrapped her arms around Silver's neck, hugging him tightly, and he in turn moved to pick her up, cradling her in his arms as he clumsily stood up. She sighed contentedly, letting her head rest lazily on his shoulder.

"We should get you back to the ambulance. Just in case." She spoke softly, nuzzling his face against hers and planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Sure." She yawned, exhausted, still a bit dazed from the meds coursing through her body, and decided that just being held like this was one of the most comforting feelings in the world. "Silver…" She said meekly, nearly half-asleep now.

"Yes?" He responded with a soft whisper, heading back towards the ambulances.

"I should thank you again. For everything, you know…you saved my home."

He smiled at her tenderly, the warmth in his chest filled him with elation and an emotion he was entirely unfamiliar with, but happy to have. Truly happy.


	14. A Happy Date

**Ch 13: A Happy Date**

Silver sat at the table, contemplating the girl sitting across from him for the millionth time in the past couple of weeks. They had grown close fast, spent their late nights talking to each other and watching movies, discussing their selves. He felt a warm glow growing in his heart, and he sometimes found himself hesitant to accept it. But then she would turn and smile, and now just looking at her made him feel like floating.

He felt the smile on his face against his will, and she giggled and some odd joke.

She still had her zoo to worry about, and he had helped all he could with fixing the damage done. He felt comfortable staying in that large house on the side of the road, knowing his own Pokémon would be well cared for by her impressive staff. She had Pokémon nurses and doctors come in and do routine checkups, the caregivers were all very enthusiastic groomers and some had created special bonds with certain Pokémon. She mentioned that a very good breeder friend of hers sometimes came along and helped take care of the newborns, helping decide if some Pokémon would be happier returning to the wild or not.

He was impressed by the sheer thought and effort that went into creating her own personal utopia for Pokémon. It was amazing that it was so successful.

"You are incredible." He muttered, half lost in his thoughts.

She paused, stopping the rant that he was only half listening to. "Not really." She blushed. "I'm just doing what I love."

He grasped her hand that was lying on the table, bringing her fingers to his lips and kissing them gently. "No, really…you're amazing to me."

She flinched, a tiny little notion, and felt her face grew hot. "Silver…I do love you."

He just looked into her eyes coolly, his face solemn and withdrawn. "I know." He replied, unable to say for sure the 'proper' reply. He watched her face fall, just slightly, but she gave him an encouraging smile.

Ameythest leaned over, giving him a brushing kiss. He flushed slightly, and she giggled. "You're cute." She remarked.

"So are you." He reminded her. They stood, Ameythest being drawn into Silvers arms as he draped her jacket over her shoulders. They departed from the restaurant, walking hand in hand on a busy city sidewalk.

"So now where to?" She asked him curiously, unsure of the rest of the days plans.

"I have a surprise for you."

"And I suppose I have to wait to find out what it is."

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise." The red head smiled modestly, his cool demeanor seeming to roll off of him like ice.

"You're so collected all the time." How did he do it? It was hard to tell when his emotions were confused or mixed, she still had quite a bit or trouble detecting much from him.

"It's just who I am." He shrugged.

"Do me a favor and don't change then." She gave him a little kiss on the cheek. "I rather like you."

"I know." He patted her shoulder, grasping her lovingly. "And I feel the same about you."

She grinned happily, and Silver came across the thought once again that her exuberant personality was almost a bit too much for him sometimes. Almost. At the same time it was endearing, and he found himself legitimately grateful that she could be happy. Something in his mind said that it gives him hope to be happy like that someday, with her.

They walked for awhile, letting the afternoon sun shine on them as they talked. It was such a wonderful day for their date, and Ameythest was soaking up every second with her optimistic attitude. She practically bounced as she talked, going on and on about various subjects, Silver just responding appropriately and letting her talk.

"Ameythest, we're here." He said, forcing her to stop mid-step. Her vision had been focused on him, so she had to look around to spot the crowd across the street. A huge area had been sectioned off for some kind of event, and tons of people were there.

"What is this?" She asked quietly.

"It's a trade meeting. Hundreds of trainers gathered to trade Pokémon and have a good time. It's like a convention."

She stood, mouth agape and stare fixated on the convention. "Is this really what we're doing today?"

He nodded, handing her a small, plastic badge. "You mentioned once that you like to trade."

"I do! Its new people and new Pokémon and new connections…! I always have a hard time letting my old Pokémon go though…"

"Let's go see what we can find, hm?" He led her up to the crowd, getting through the entrance with little difficulty. Going through the gates must have been the first time Silver had his back turned to her for the night, because she noticed an odd little trinket hanging on one of his belt loops. A strange little gem that seemed to morph colors three times of silver, black and red. She was still staring at it when Silver turned to take her hand, and noticing her odd position and glazed stare, he tilted his head slightly. "Ameythest? Everything all right?"

She blinked, snapping her head up to look at him. "Huh? Yeah yeah. Sorry, thought I saw something."

He raised an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing, his hand grasping hers affirmatively. "Then we're off."

* * *

Tropius landed as quietly as he could in front of the large house by the side of the road. It was so late and dark, the only source of light coming from the meager porch light of her house. She recalled her partner after herself and Silver dismounted, and she yawned loudly. "We were out too late."

"I wasn't aware that was possible." Silver responded flatly, but he stifled a yawn as well. Usually he'd have a nice, stiff drink right about now… "Hell…" He swore, remembering his nightly routine a little too late.

"What's wrong?" Ameythest asked, concern lacing her tone as she fiddled with the keys.

"I forgot to ask to stop and get a drink…but I'm not going to fly all the way back into town, there might not even be anyplace open now."

"I noticed you like your alcohol…" She creaked the door open, stepping in as silently as she could.

"It helps me sleep." He said flatly, figuring insomnia wasn't that big of a deal.

"Oh…well, I could try to find something for you."

"It's fine, really…" He protested, but she was already busying herself in the kitchen, opening every cupboard in search for some booze. He sighed in defeat, plopping down on the couch unceremoniously. "You don't have to." He said. The living room lay right in front of the kitchen, and Ameythest tried to look at him by leaning over the counter.

"Well I feel bad if you don't feel comfortable while staying here." She responded matter-of-factly. "I mean the only reason you're staying here is because Johto is so far way and…we wouldn't be able to get together much…and hotels are expensive."

Silver ran his fingers through his hair, feeling his weariness sink into his body but knowing his restless mind would prevent him from sleeping. "Yeah, all right." He sighed, finally agreeing.

Ameythest walked into the living room, a strong smelling drink in her hand. She set in on the coffee table before seating herself next to Silver. She made herself comfortable, letting her legs fold underneath her as she rested her elbow on the back of the couch, letting her head fall into her hand naturally. She just watched him as he drank deeply from the glass, obviously at least somewhat relieved.

Silver drank, letting the alcohol warm his blood as he felt the initial tingle from the hard liquor. "Thanks." He managed to say, indicating his glass to Ameythest.

"You're welcome." She just stared at him, taking in every detail of his movements and mannerisms.

He took another drink, allowing his body to relax more easily and feeling the tiredness of the late night upon himself more. "It's way too late." He restated, frowning at the idea of destroying the decent schedule he had managed to make for himself.

"Then I guess we should get to bed."

"We should." He turned to look at her, but she hadn't moved, just sitting there, staring at him. He would have been slightly disturbed if she wasn't half-asleep and probably no longer wanted to move. He finished the glass with one last gulp, and turned to her, staring her dead in the face. "You all right?"

"Tired." She said slowly, a smile creeping on her lips. "But I had so much fun today."

"Yeah. Me too. "He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, feeling the buzz of the alcohol in his head. He gently pushed some hair from her face, and took her cheeks in the palm of his hands, leaning in for a deep, passionate kiss.

Ameythest moved to accommodate him more, her body naturally molding into the curves of his. The taste of alcohol was strong, and she felt the urge to lick his lips of the remaining liquid.

He began to kiss her deeper, more ferociously, demanding more from her mouth, tongue and lips. He began to barely recognize that they were on a thin couch, and his hand seemed to have a mind of its own, finding the hem of her shirt and lifting his high.

She felt his roaming hand, and her heated breath become even more so, her cheeks burning. He found what he wanted, and caressed her bra-clad breast with his rough fingers.

Silver noticed the odd squeal that came from underneath him, and felt her quickly rising and falling chest. He squeezed, and realized just how soft her chest was. Wait…

He jumped backwards, releasing Ameythest from his grasp and deep kisses, her breath heady and thick from embarrassment. Staring at his naughty hand, which was now shaking, he tried to work his mouth to spout an apology.

But she looked up at him, her face showered in embarrassment, but something else as well. She blushed harder, staring at him, her features scattered but an oddly mischievous smile planted on her face.

He blinked in disbelief, staring at her with a somewhat flabbergasted look. But she stood, taking his hand and leading him away from the couch, towards the stairs. She looked like she wanted to say something, but both of them were far too embarrassed to physically talk.

So upstairs they went.


	15. Together

**Ch 14 : Together**

Silver had stopped cold in the doorway of her bedroom, feeling like an invisible barrier was meant to be pushing him back. She had turned to him with the cutest little face he had ever seen, her cheeks tomato red and her eyes downcast in something akin to shame.

And he just stood there, not the first clue of how to act or what to really do.

Ameythest lifted her shirt over her head, tossing it aside lazily. Her bra held her breasts beautifully, and it was then Silver noticed that the flush wasn't confined to just her face. She looked at him, embarrassed, but willing to continue.

Silver fingered his jacket numbly, his fingers not quite working like normal. But he managed to undo the buttons, letting the clothing slide down his arms as he stepped further into the room. This left him with a thin tee covering his chest.

Ameythest shrank back, shuffling around him oddly to close the door. He felt like his ears twitch when he heard the lock click as well.

She gently grasped his hand, pulling him in the direction of the bed. Silver felt dizzy, both from the heat on his face and the alcohol in his blood. He pulled the topless girl's thin frame into his arms, wrapping them tightly around her and drawing her in for a kiss. She complied, enjoying the feel of his body against hers. Her fingertips found the edge of his shirt, and she meekly pulled it up. Silver broke the kiss, helping her rid him of the offensive material. He shuddered in satisfaction as her soft hands ran over the strong, thick muscles of his chest and abs. Amused, he spun her around, and fell backwards onto the bed, allowing his head to relax lazily into the pillows.

"Silver?" She finally spoke, though it was a cracked whisper.

"Come here." He said with a smile, holding his hand out to her. He was smiling so naturally it was almost weird.

She accepted it, finding herself being pulled down into his strong grasp. They lay next to each other, faces closes and eyes locked. He was smiling widely, his face red from a couple types of intoxication. It was still so strange to see him smile like that, like he had just recently discovered a reason to keep living and it was plastered on his face uncontrollably. Maybe it was so odd because it looked so natural? He kissed her, deep and ferociously, giving her no quarter to flinch backwards or wriggle into a more assertive position. Her world shifted as he pulled her on top of him, letting up on the heavy kiss as he pushed her into a sitting position.

Ameythest was now straddling his hips, a strange hardness rubbing at her lower back. He stretched out luxuriously underneath, his muscles rippling in movement under his skin. She sat there, fascinated by the view, and explored his torso with new renewed curiosity.

"Enjoying yourself?" His look was level and cool, his eyes memorizing the fascinated features of her face.

"Yes."

"Good." He pushed himself up a little, resting on his elbows. "I want you to know that I haven't quite felt this strongly before. About anything." It was overwhelming, absolutely everything about her had suddenly become entirely intoxicating, like a strong drink that never lets up.

"I…can't say I have either. I thought I had everything I needed. I thought I had accomplished all there was, and I could just live." She had begun to speaking quickly, some of her words being mashed together. "But Silver, you've added so much to me, I just can't even describe it. I was entirely content and happy until I realized…I was alone, no one share anything with. And that month, alone with you, that crazy impossible part of my life that's so different and extreme…you became an acquaintance, and then a friend, a friend that I began to worry and care about, and then you left and I realized that I felt so much more-" Her emotional rant had come to halt as her voice cracked slightly, and she wiped her eyes in embarrassment.

He stared, his eyes wide with surprise. She fell forward, her arms wrapping around his neck tightly.

"Thank you for making me happy."

And with those words, he felt his body grow warm from the very bottom of his heart. He sat up more, his arms wrapping around her gently and he tried to comprehend the sentence with disbelief. Him? Make someone else happy? It was a rare feeling, this gratefulness that Ameythest was expressing, and he realized he had never expected that from anyone. Making her happy had made him feel more than just good, it was more than that feeling you get when you see a poor child with new toys or any sort of charity done. It was so satisfying to make her happy because he found himself loving every feature she made, every move, facial expression, anything, was completely and utterly endearing and unexplainably addicting. His chest had swelled, his mind had jumped between clear and cloudy, and his emotions were new and not very well understood, but they weren't unwelcome.

He pushed her back, looking straight into her soft eyes, suddenly wondering if he ever really wanted to leave her side. Probably not.

He sighed in contentment, advancing on her thin frame by kissing her cheeks and neck, working his way slowly across her skin.

She felt brandished, his lips so warm and soft as he kissed all over her upper body. When he wanted to go lower, he flipped their positions, laying her down gently beneath her as he continued his trail of kissing to her soft breasts. She didn't know whether to squirm or freeze when he removed the bra from her, freeing the attractive, womanly mounds from their confining clothing. His hand ran over them, causing her breath to hitch.

They had no idea how long they explored each other, hand on shoulders and chests and abs, mouths rarely hitting each other as they sought more sensitive spots to bite, suckle and kiss. It was only when they realized that they had both managed to remove their bottoms that this was actually happening, at the last minute thoughts of whether to wait or continue crossed their minds rather fleetingly.

She writhed as he teased her with his hand, and he groaned when her hand brushed his thickness. The slightest twinge of fear sat in the back of Ameythest's mind, for while she was not entirely inexperienced this was the most she has ever done with an actual guy, and his size was intimidating at the least. Thought the fear remained, it was drowning in a flurry of heated breaths and incredible excitement. She began to feel empty, and her pants became desperate.

"Silver…" The name was breathless, and he positioned himself properly, allowing the wetness to envelope him completely with a deeply satisfying moan.

She squirmed and muttered incoherent sounds, the slight shock of entry being a split second of discomfort compared to the satisfaction of being entirely filled. It was here that she finally couldn't hold her breath back any more, and moaned loudly, much to her own shame. She felt like her soul was being pierced, like everything that was Silver was invading her entirety, mind, body, and soul.

It was elating.

Silver pressed himself into her, rocking back and forth experimentally until he found what he was looking for. Her hips fought him slightly and instinctively, but it made him grin in the fact that it felt all the better with her little jolts and shudders. He glanced down, her dazed look being one of the most satisfying things he's ever seen. The flush of their bodies was constant, had been for awhile, and he felt the tension between them growing has his thrusts started to take serious effect.

The pressure grew, and their pace increased. Before he even considered what was happening, really, Ameythest had started to practically scream her moans, forcing him to kiss her to keep her shouts of pleasure muffled.

Ameythest felt herself arch to meet him, her mind gone completely numb from experiencing the intense pleasure. She relished the feel of his tongue in her mouth, his upper body mimicking the movements of his lower. She could feel herself tensing more and more, the pleasure building to near unbearable levels.

And he felt her reach climax, the spasms doubling over the feelings he was already bearing. It took a few more strokes into her now limp body before he reached his own, gritting his teeth as his release filled her.

He panted, rolling to her side as he collapsed next to her, a heap of weary limbs. His arm snaked around her still naked waist and he pulled her into the curve of his body. Ah, it felt good. Lying there and cuddling as they both tried to regain their breath.

Ameythest's breath normalized, and as he body cooled down a slight chill made her shiver. She pulled the covers up, and felt comfortable lying in the arms of her newly found lover. Both exhausted, he kissed the side of her head through her hair, and settled in comfortably behind her. "Good night, sweetheart."

And she fell asleep with a broad smile.

**Notes: I'm not exactly sure how long I want to make this, but it probably won't last too much longer seeing as how the chapters are getting a bit shorter and all. I also have some other projects I want to work on for a time. I'll continue it when I get the chances. **


	16. And Life Goes On

**Chapter 15: And Life Goes On…**

Silver awoke slowly, his lethargic body completely hesitant to move. "Hmmm…." He buried his face in the sweet smell of Ameythest's hair, realizing his hands and arms were still wrapped around her naked body and he tightened his grip slightly. She shifted the tiniest bit, but settled right back into him, obviously not waking up. A quick knock at the bedroom door had his sudden, full attention as Ametheyst's mother called from the other side. Carol was her name, he recalled. "You've overslept, sweetheart, are you okay?"

Silver felt his face turn to a grimace, he didn't know whether to speak through the door or not. Probably not…Ameythest would tell her mother when she was comfortable.

"I'm coming in!" Her mother's worried tone called.

He sighed a silent breath of relief, thankful the door had been locked the previous night, and Ameythest began to stir underneath him. His sight was drawn to the door handle. Her mother had begun to try to jiggle the door open, and he heard curious obscenities of frustration from the other. Then his eyes widened as the lock clicked, and the door swung partway open.

"Are you sick or some-" Carol stopped, her entire being frozen as she spotted Silver shocked stare looking back at her. "Ah." She managed to speak out.

At this, a very sleepy-eyed Ameythest finally woke up unsteadily, pushing herself up on one elbow and rubbing her eyes. "Mom?" She asked it lazily. "What time is it?"

Silver's twitchy hand had made her remember last night, in quick, vivid detail, like a fast clip show in her brain. She realized she was naked. She realized Silver was lying right next to her. And her mother was…

"OH MY GOD!" She screeched, and Carol spun on her heels to leave, giving her the 'you're gonna be late if you don't get up soon' look, but otherwise saying nothing as she closed the door behind her.

Ameythest threw the covers off of herself, shaking from embarrassment. She took two steps away from the bed before she turned around, spying Silver, who had barely moved. His face was red by something far past simple embarrassment and shame, and she tore her face away from him for a second to grab a discarded towel from the floor and wrap it around herself quickly. Once properly covered, she turned to confront her boyfriend-lover. "Are you okay?"

Silver felt a strange heat radiate off his face, something different than the heated emotions of last night. A different kind of embarrassment, something just as intense in such a different way. "I'm…not sure." He admitted slowly. There was one thing he could ask with certainty, though. "How did she get the door open?"

"Damn lock…" Ameythest swore harshly. "Only works half the time. Never really had a need for it, so I never got it fixed." She admitted. "I'm sorry about that…"

"It's all right…" He sat up, the red slowly fading from his face. Ameythest felt her face flush a bit as he moved out from under the covers, his handsome chest and broad shoulders poking out neatly from the soft lavender sheets of her bed. She realized that for the first time in her life, there was a man in her bed.

She frowned inwardly at herself, realizing that she had tried dating before, shared couches and chairs with other guys, but ultimately they never held her interest for very long. Her life's goals came first. But this man sitting in front of her, completely naked, his normally neat red hair a total mess, had managed to distract her from everything she cared about before. At that was something special.

"Somethin' wrong?" He asked coolly. "You've been staring off for a minute or two."

She looked at him, realizing that if anyone else had seen his face it would seem like a coldly neutral stare. But she saw the warm glow in his eyes that weren't always there, the added softness to his features. She felt a smirk appear on her face, a sly look that she wasn't used to wearing. She sauntered over to him, swaying her hips deliberately, and she ignored the soreness as she sat down next to him. "I don't have a lot of time. Would you shower with me?"

Aside from the slightest flush that graced his cheeks, there was no change in his demeanor. He stretched lazily, swinging his legs over the side of the bed to stand up.

Ameythest felt her body grow warm from the sight of him naked, and he snaked his arm around her shoulders, urging her forward. "Lead the way."

* * *

Silver had never felt quite so awkward in his life. Ameythest had ran promptly ran out the door once she looked at a clock, shouting something incomprehensible. This left him in the kitchen with her mother, who was making an extra large breakfast. He just sat at the table, not sure of what to say or do. "So um. You sure you don't need any helped?" He had offered twice already, but the air around him felt like a thick blanket on top of him. Everything felt awkward.

"No no dear." Carol said, shuffling about proudly. "I'm happy to make breakfast for us."

He fidgeted with his fingers, unsure of what to do until a plate of piping hot eggs and bacon was offered to him. He accepted with quiet thanks, and what followed the most awkward meal he would ever have.

"So…" Carol began, poking at her food with a fork.

"I-I'm sorry." Silver finally blurted, his normally collected demeanor was entirely unnerved at this situation.

At this though, Carol laughed. "Sorry?" she said loudly. "You have no need to be sorry! You and Ameythest ARE adults. I'm honestly the one who should be apologizing, but it's was just so unusual for Ameythest to sleep so late and I didn't think…" She sighed, slightly at a loss.

Silver shifted uncomfortably, but felt his uneasiness began to ebb away. "You never imagined she would-?"

"No, not really. That girl has never shown so much interest in other people before. She has a few friends, but they're so spread out over the region and world, and the most company she gets is her own Pokémon here at the zoo. I can't tell you how happy I am that she's finally found someone she really likes." She paused, taking a moment to chew thoughtfully. "I should be thanking you."

He took a minute to digest the words, genuinely relieved of Carols' thoughts. "You're welcome, I guess." The words seemed strange to him, and he continued his meal quietly.

Carol giggled lightly. "But you are a bit shy aren't you? For all those intimidating looks you give while just walking around…"

He didn't know whether to feel embarrassed or annoyed by the statement. Either way, it ended up not bothering him much at all, and instead just made him think. He finished his food, which was quite delicious, and excused himself to go and find his girlfriend.

He found her feeding the water Pokémon in the small lake area. She looked tempted to jump in and swim around with them even. The thought made him grin, he surprised himself by feeling completely content just sitting there and watching her.

Ameythest stood, wiping her hands on her jeans. She spotted Silver looking at her, and her face broke into a wide smile. "Hi Silver!" She called, and ran up to the fence, climbing it easily. The zoo was already opened, so she got a few odd looks when she jumped down from the fence to instantly brush her lips against the red-heads. "Sorry for leaving so fast." She apologized profusely, wrapping her arms around his middle.

He carefully extracted himself from her grasp, locking his fingers with his instead. "It's fine. It wasn't as bad as you'd think." He smiled at her, but just for a brief moment.

"Something wrong?" She asked him, a touch of worry in her tone.

"I'm fine." He assured. "It's just…" He looked around. People were milling about the edge of the paths, looking at exhibits and he occasionally weaved to miss a body or two. "…people…" He finished, his withdrawn nature showing more with each step.

She watched him as his even glare was not shot at anyone in particular. He just stared coldly at nothing. Eventually he released her hand as well, stuffing both of his hands in his pockets and gesturing for Ameythest to take his arm. She complied, leaning into him gently as her arm locked into his.

They walked around for awhile, Ameythest tending to who she felt needed her while Silver aided in small ways, taking her orders and just watching her do what she loved. He began to really admire her effort and determination.

Sooner than he thought, the hot sun and gnawing in his stomach screamed lunchtime. He turned to Ameythest, who was in the middle of grooming her Rapidash. "Are you getting hungry?"

"Starved!" She replied. "Just going to finish here…and…done!" She stepped back from the Pokémon, its coat smooth and silky from the brushing. "There's a really good little sandwich shop next to the forest area. I had to have a couple of eateries built after a short time… It was barely in the budget but my mom helped me figure it out, and we made it work." She took his hand, lacing their fingers together, and led her through the weaving paths to the proper area. They entered the small restaurant, ordered their food, and sat at one of the small tables to eat.

"You paid for this place?" Silver asked surprised, his eyes looking at the well-decorated walls and sturdy, iron frame tables.

"I had it built. Jeff over there runs it for me. But it was pretty easy to come up with the money to pay off all the bills once the zoo actually opened."

"I'm sure…" He popped a fry into his mouth, once again put into awe at the sheer amount of accomplishments she's made. True curiosity began to peak in his mind, however. "You…must have amassed a small fortune by now, though." He said quietly.

Ameythest paused. "Well…yeah. At this point, the popularity of this place is sky-rocketing, and our income last month far outweighed our costs. I'm putting some of the money in a charity fund though, and once I save enough I'm going to have a house built for mom in Lilycove. She loves the sea, and we're only near Mauville because of all the space that was available for this place to exist."

"I see." He responded simply. "So what now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do I…" He swallowed roughly. "Do you think there's room for me here…permanently? I mean. I'm still paying rent back in Johto. It would be absolutely out of the question to ask you to move…"

Ameythest dropped her silverware, realizing that she hadn't even remembered that Silver was still technically just visiting. The fact seemed to have gotten lost somewhere in her mind, and she stared at him with round eyes. "Um…o-of course. Of course you're welcome here! But…there isn't any reason for you to stay in Johto?"

He shrugged. "No, not really. Just a little house empty house." He mused that he almost found himself pathetic, stating that a small living space was truly his only connection to Johto. A friend or two, but they all traveled anyway. A small, empty life until now, Ameythest filling a hole that he wasn't even sure had existed. The warm feeling made him smile, and he took her hand to kiss it tenderly. "It would make me…happy…to stay here with you."

"Well." She stated, leaning over the table. "I guess that means that I'll be ecstatic to have you around all the time." And she brushed her lips against his cheek, kissing it softly.

This made him smile again, and he couldn't help pulling her arm to maneuver her around the table, setting her in his lap and burying his face in her hair. "I love you." He stated plainly, gripping her in a tight hug. He felt her kiss his cheek again, and he just knew that not everyone was this lucky.


	17. Adventure's Revisited

**Chapter 16: Adventure's Revisited**

Ameythest locked the gate door to the zoo for the night, sighing in relief. It was another long, tiring day, but she felt a broad smile cross her face at the thought of returning to the house to see Silver waiting for her in their bed. Four months ago, he moved in officially, and she found herself practically skipping with joy since. Like everyone else, they had their bad days and disagreements, but they were usually short and fleeting. Her head stuck in the clouds, her heart all a-flutter…Silver had become the epitome of near everything that was dear to her. And it was this reason as to why her face had gone from beaming to worry as she saw him, red hair impossible to miss, running towards her from the back of the house.

He approached her, his features strained.

"What's wrong?"

"Something's happened. I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"I'm coming with you!" She shouted it without thinking and without hesitation.

"No, sweetheart." He stated firmly. "I have plenty of help." He kissed her on the forehead, holding her fast for a split second. "I need to go to Kanto. You can phone me at Oaks if you need me." He tilted her head up, holding her chin with his fingers. "I love you, and I'll be back. Right now some of my friends are in a bit of trouble." He searched her eyes, and then gave her a long, deep kiss.

She didn't want to let him go alone, but he eventually broke off, running away from her and calling out his Honchkrow. They flew away swiftly, and Ameythest stared at the dead space for a good twenty minutes. She dragged her feet through the doorway, knowing it would be useless to sulk but did so a little anyway. She would just have to be patient and mature about it, and wait.

And wait she did. After a week of playing phone tag with professor Oak, she was finally able to talk to Silver, who explained that there seemed to be something big going on in Kanto. Some criminals had gotten a little too flamboyant, showing off their power with a strange unidentified Pokémon. He had told her not to worry and said he would be home as soon as he could.

That was another two weeks ago.

The first week was fairly easy to rationalize herself from missing him, and after talking to him again she felt a lot better. The second week she started to get a little anxious, but still kept calm.

But now at three weeks and no sign or word from anyone, she began to grow worried. Oak had stopped attempting to contact her, and when she called him the signal didn't go through, like the phone line didn't exist. She kept the news channel on constantly, keeping close tabs on the events of Kanto. Something was definitely happening, but none of the reporters were close enough to the situation it seemed to have any real idea of what was going on. Finally, she felt fed up enough. She grabbed her most elite team from their shelters and told her mother to watch out for things while she was gone. A heavy bag on her back, plenty of supplies, and a strong team, just like her old adventuring days. She took off on her Tropius, making the long trek across the sea. Two and a half days over nothing but water had tired out Tropius, but finally the small town of Pallet came into view. It was a little ways inland, but not too far. Something was off though, a large pillar of smoke arose from the small town, and she urged her Tropius to enter the air space.

The flight path was near instantly cut off however, but one of the most powerful-looking dragonites that she had ever seen. It had a rider, flanked by another dragonite and a dragonair. The rider looked oddly familiar, as well as a little beat up. He turned to face her, his spiky hair blowing to the side of his face with the wind.

"Who the hell are you?!" He demanded, ushering his main Dragonite to stop, sending the other two Pokémon ahead of himself.

"I'm looking for someone!" She shouted back. "I don't mean to cause trouble!"

"Wrong place for that!" The stranger spat back, and he looked around wildly. "Land! It's not safe up here!"

"Tropius, land in the trees just outside of town." She urged the Pokémon, and watched as the strangely familiar dragon trainer intercepted what looked like a giant ball of electric blue lighting. Her eyes widened. "That looks like…" And Tropius dove, landing safely in the trees. She looked up, scanning the skies for the dragon trainer and his three partners. She spotted the dragonair, falling from the sky rapidly. "Scizor!" She called, recalling Tropius and releasing the steely bug. She pointed out the falling dragonair. "Can you intercept?!"

The Pokémon gave an affirmative nod, buzzing quickly towards the falling Pokémon. She ran, following the buzzing noise after Scizor disappeared from view. The dragonair landed safely thanks to Scizor, though it looked fairly hurt. "Carela." She called, releasing the Blissey from its ball. "Carela, can you heal this dragonair?"

"Blissey!" The always-smiling Pokémon worked its strange healing powers on the dragonair.

The trainer from before landed roughly with his dragonite, sprinting towards them. "Dragonair!" He called, and spotted the Blissey applying the generous healing powers over the creature. "I…thank you." He said, turning to Ameythest.

"Not a problem." She responded. "What was that?"

He hesitated, not unsure if he could trust this stranger or not. "Dangerous. And that's all you need to know. A highly skilled team is working on locking down the situation, so you should just head on home."

"I'm not going anywhere until I find out if Silver's all right or not." She didn't mean to say his name, but it slipped before she could stop herself. It seemed to have an effect though, as the strangers eyes widened at the mention.

"You know Silver?" He asked in serious doubt.

"Of course I do. Black jacket, white pants, reddest hair imaginable?" She described. She almost added 'cute butt', but managed to hold her tongue at the last second.

"He didn't mention any backup." The other furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "But you do seem to know him."

"Yeah. I'm his-" She suddenly found herself slammed against a tree, her head reeling from the impact.

"So what do you want from him?!" The man demanded.

Bewildered, Ameythest looked into the man's death glare. Behind him, her Scizor had tried to move to help, but the obviously far superior Dragonite had stepped in, and they were currently in a glaring match, both awaiting orders from their trainers. "I just want to know if he's okay!" she sputtered. "He's been gone for weeks! He didn't tell you about me?!"

"Why would he tell us about you?" The stranger raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious.

Ameythest stopped, pondering the question herself. "You know what, it's his business." Maybe it was easier for him not to say anything. It would be very much like him to not mention what he didn't want to be bothered about. "But trust me when I say we're close. If you don't believe me, ask Ruby!"

"Ruby?" Realization seemed to dawn on him fast. "You're Ameythest?"

"Y-yeah. Flies around on a Tropius, caught a dangerous dark Lugia? That's me!"

"I'm sorry, you should have said something." He promptly helped her stand, steadying her. "It's nice to finally meet you. My name's Lance." He offered his hand, which she accepted.

"Lance huh?" Then the name clicked. "Wait, THE Lance? Elite Four member Lance? Dragon master Lance?! THAT LANCE?!"

Lance gave an unamused frown. "Well if you're going to be overwhelmed all day, maybe you should just go home."

"No no, I gotta check on Silver. He kind of…left suddenly when we last departed." She was still didn't know the exact reason Silver didn't tell his friends about her, but it really was his business. She would just have to keep it up until she could talk to him herself. "Now what was that thing?"

"We think it's a Zekrom." Lance said slowly. "But something's wrong with it, something crazy. We don't know who exactly is behind it yet. That's what some of the others are doing now.

"A Zekrom? What's it doing away from Unova? I wasn't sure there was even more than one in existence."

"What? Don't be silly. Of course they're a few. Just very, very rare." He frowned, scanning the skies once again. "I hope we got it pinned this time. Come on, maybe you can help." He climbed on top of his Dragonite, which caused Ameythest to switch out Pokémon again, releasing Tropius and recalling Blissey. Scizor rode with her, and they took off, side by side. From their sky-high view, Ameythest could see the large black dragon from the ground, firing powerful bolts of electricity and what seemed to be a trio of trainers fighting viciously.

Ameythest squinted, making out a Charizard, Blastoise, and Venasaur, each using a move she had never even seen before. The three streams of energy combined and the power of the blast increased, hitting the dragon full-on. "What was that?" Ameythest asked aloud.

"You can find out later. What we need to know is if it worked or not…" They watched as the black dragon roared in pain, shooting skyward at an incredibly pace. "SHIT!" Lance swore harshly, gritting his teeth and mobilizing his dragons, releasing a very large Aerodactyl for good measure. "Do NOT let him escape! Hyper BEAM!" Two Dragonites, a Dragonair, and an Aerodactyl all fired equally powerfully beams of energy at the same time, converged on the black dragon. The dragon took the hits with a might roar, seeming to slow down quite a bit as its wings stopped moving.

"Did it work?" Lance whispered desperately under his breath.

The dragon hovered in the air for another moment or so, and then it exploded. Literally just exploded, sending sickening pieces of flesh and gore everywhere. All the trainers had their eyes glued in shock and horror at the spot in the air where the black dragon once was, a small rain of blood showering the earth below.

Ameythest felt her stomach twist in a knot, and the urge to vomit was all but intolerable. She managed to fight off the feeling, taking deep cool breaths to relax her body. They landed solemnly, still unsure of what had just happened.

The three grounded fighters ran up them, the black-haired, red-clad man speaking loudly. "It wasn't what it seemed." He stated quickly." It wasn't a real Pokémon, just some sort of poorly made copy. Like an unstable clone."

"Cloning?" Lance repeated after the black-haired man. "Is that why _he's _here?"

The red-clad man just nodded.

Ameythest had no idea what the two were talking about, but if it wasn't for her ears, fine. Obviously Lance the Dragon Master trusted this person, and that would have to be good enough for her right now. She became certain they would share stories later, if it was even necessary. She stared at the black haired man, swearing she must have seen him somewhere before. His two companions were a spiky haired brunette man and a long haired girl.

"So who's this?" The spiky-haired man asked. His hair flowed over one side of his face strangely.

"This is Ameythest. A friend of Silvers. She said she came looking for him because he hasn't been in contact." Lance explained. He gestured towards Ameythest. "Ameythest, this is Red, Blue and Green. Friends of mine and Silvers."

Ameythest scanned them all strangely, taking in their features. "Silver didn't seem the type to keep so much company." She stated plainly. The other female, Green, couldn't help laughing at the statement.

"I think you are definitely a friend of his." She giggled. "Hi. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Silver has told me a lot." Green smiled, wide and friendly, and Ameythest smiled back.

"Thanks. I was just getting so worried because he said he would keep in touch…and then nothing, for two weeks now… How could I just sit by and not do anything?"

Red gave her a strange look, one akin to surprised approval. He grinned. A cocky, confident grin. "I understand." He said knowingly. "This is actually a trait we all share. Welcome, Ameythest. It honestly is a pleasure to meet you." He patted her shoulder, and then turned to Lance. "We should rendezvous with the others. By now they should have been able to dig up something."


	18. New Friends, Old Enemies

**Chapter 17: New Friends, Old Enemies**

They all seemed to follow Red pretty easily, she realized. She and Green were riding together on Tropius, who was starting to tire from the long flights. She patted the Pokémon's neck affectionately. "Not too much longer my friend. We'll take you straight to a center as soon as we can."

"You must be a really caring trainer." Green observed, smiling at the way the other handled the large saurapod.

"I own many, many Pokémon. I spent my life creating a safe haven for some Pokémon. And I wanted to share them and their love with anyone and everyone. That's why I aimed for a zoo. That's why I spent so long taming all those Pokémon…so tiny children and the too old or too busy could still enjoy something that they may not have time for themselves. It's a sharing experience." She then frowned in harsh determination. "But I did travel as just a trainer for a very long time. I may not have done many competitions in the past few years…but I still know how to train my personal team and fight with all my heart."

"That's good to hear." Green said. "Because I get the strangest feeling we're going to need some strong hearts. Whoever is trying to clone a Zekrom is getting stronger and bolder. Bold criminals are the most dangerous…"

"So what all have they done?!"

"One of the first things we noticed is that they stole notes from an old lab on Cinnabar Island. Have you ever heard of Blaine?"

"I think so…"

"He was a researched and gym leader of Kanto, until he finally succumbed to old age." Her tone went slightly wistful at that. "But he was a genius. Back in the day, Team Rocket had forced him to do DNA research for them."

"Team Rocket…" The name sent a shiver down her spine. She hoped that it wasn't another attempt to revive the old, ridiculously powerful syndicate. She remembered them clearly; the news of their antics had reached Hoenn all that time ago. It had to be getting near twenty years since all of that though.

"Has Silver told you?" Green asked sharply. "Of his parentage."

"Some." Ameythest responded slowly. Why did it feel like Green was testing her? "Giovanni was his father's name. He never knew anything of his mother. And his father…"

"Yes. Giovanni died some time ago from disease." Green seemed depressed, her shoulders slumping. "I always felt guilty about it. Finding my own parents was so easy in comparison…"

"Hey, don't do that to yourself." Ameythest looked back at the other girl, the only other person she had ever heard Silver talk fondly about. "He's talked about you some. I don't think he'd want you to be bothered by any kind of guilt."

"Thank you, but I can't really help it. I feel bad for him. He's made a great person of himself with hardly anything to start him out well." She smiled fondly. "I'm proud to be his friend."

Ameythest stared at her in total silence, and the rest of the trip went that way. In an awkward silence.

Finally they landed, Ameythest's Tropius stumbling a bit, but landing safely.

"Take your Pokémon to the center." Red called to her, indicating the building across the street.

"Sure, but…where are we?"

Green answered her. "Cerulean. We think the enemy has made base at the old power plant. The boys are checking it out."

"What boys?"

"Silver, Gold and Ruby of course."

Ameythest frowned at that. "Gold? Doesn't he-" Tropius interrupted her, nudging her back. "Oh…I'll be back." She said apologetically, recalling the Pokémon and rushing across the street. Green watched her leave, a slight worry crossing her face.

The boys were late.

* * *

Silver checked his pokegear hastily. "Dammit!" He swore, and another explosion made him temporarily deaf as he jumped behind some consoles. Ruby and Gold weren't faring much better, pinned down by masses of electrical waves. "How the hell did they manage to get a Zapdos?!" He bit out through gritted teeth. The creature was under their utter control, and it attacked mercilessly.

Ruby dive-bombed him from the side, seeking better protection. He struggled to keep his white hat on. "We gotta get out of here!" He screeched.

"I'm trying to come up with something!"

"Ruru might be able to teleport us out of here and back to the city!" He debated, staring at the red and white ball that housed the powerful Gardevoir.

"Are you nuts?! That would lead our enemy right into an innocent city!"

"Just get Gold next to us so we can escape!"

Silver growled angrily. "Cocky bastard." He spotted Gold, he and his Typhlosion doing all they could to defend themselves. In addition to the raging Zapdos spreading harsh lightning absolutely everywhere, the black-clad members of the criminal syndicate were at every opening, safe in their protective corners. He waited for a good opportunity, watching Gold's movements closely as the other man rolled between coverings, trying to reach his comrades without getting zapped.

Then there was a single, tiny window of opportunity. Silver hoisted Ruby by his elbow and booked it to the next closest covering. He was in arms length of Gold, and Ruby released his Gardevoir at the most precise moment. The second they were all touching each other they could teleport.

But not before Silver felt a sharp shock course through his body, making him twitch in agony.

The three boys landed in a heap on the concrete sidewalk, electric shocks bouncing off of all of them. Gold couldn't take it, and he screamed loudly, his blood feeling like fire. Opposite him Ruby and vomited roughly on the ground, his hands twitching with electricity as he concerned himself with his Pokémon. And Silver lie there, unable to move, for every single muscle he exercised sent a strange pain coursing through his body. "H-help…" He managed, and Gold fought his clouded head to check on his teammate.

"Silver! Silver are you okay?! Please be okay…" He rolled the red-head onto his back, earning a shocked gasp from the man. "What hurts?" He asked urgently. His own pain was throbbing in his head, and he fought for consciousness. By now he was vaguely aware of the sirens that seemed to be headed their way. Or course someone would have noticed three people twitching in pain on the ground.

"E-every-thing…" He replied brokenly.

Ruby managed to stand up, his muscles twitching slightly but he was otherwise beginning to feel a bit normal. He realized Ruru must've tried to protect them at the last second. The barrier must have only been able to get to him fast enough. He fell to Silver's side, trying to assess the situation as well as he and Gold could. "Silver, stay with us." He emphasized, and at this, gold promptly fell over, completely unconscious. "Gold!" Ruby shouted, reaching a hand out to his second fallen friend. Ruby stared at the two helplessly, and the sound of sirens rang clearly in his ears.

* * *

Ruby exited the small room quietly, still adjusting his clothes from getting dressed. He had narrowly avoided the shock that both Gold and Silver were now suffering from, and all he could do was feel worry for his two friends. He adjusted his hat and straightened his shirt. Just because he was sad didn't mean he still didn't have to look good. He fingered the glasses case that was in his pocket, debating on putting them on, but deciding he was too depressed to wear the offensive accessory. They really did look terrible. He was led out to the hospital lobby, the doctors saying both Silver and Gold would not be open to visitors until tomorrow. He sighed, wondering how he was going to face his friends like this. They were sure to understand and of course they'd never blame him, but still…

He scanned the lobby, expecting half a dozen of familiar faces to fill his view in one corner of the room. Instead, staring directly at him, was one person he knew. Red approached him quietly, his stern look intimidating as his stance. Red was probably the toughest of them all, and even though they were friends, Ruby always felt slightly intimidating by the older man. They were opposite ends of the spectrum when it came to trainers.

"What happened?" The ebony-haired man asked calmly, a touch of concern snaking into the tone of his voice.

"A Zapdos. A powerful one. Silver took the shock dead on. It spread to Gold and I, but Ruru was able to protect me. She tried to get to the others, but…it just happened too fast."

"It's all right. Sapphire had been worried about you; she's waiting at the center."

Ruby frowned shyly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't blame yourself. Did you manage to gather any useful information?"

"It's like you said, Red." Ruby said, confirming Red's initial suspicions. "It's Team Rocket. They're trying to create perfect replicas of powerful Pokémon. I think they're trying to build an army."

"But what for? Who's leading them?" Red pondered.

"Power, control…the usual I assume. And their leader, never even heard of him before. Probably just some lackey from the old days that still believe in their so-called dream. Nobody we've ever dealt with before. But he's strong. Very strong."

"Thank you, Ruby. We had better go meet with the others."

"What about Silver and Gold?"

"They're safe here." Red responded smoothly. "Come on."

Ruby followed him out, counting his blessings that he wasn't in the same boat as Silver or Gold. Still, the words Silver had said before they had teleported, about leading the enemy into the city bothered him. Would they really come out into the open just like that? Or would they try to be sneaky. He decided he would discuss it with Red on the way out.

Ameythest paced the floor nervously, unnerving her new acquaintances and even Nurse Joy. Finally, out of sheer frustration, she stopped and faced the people she barely knew. "So where the heck did he GO?!" She cried, still not understanding the way Red and simply stood and left without a word.

"Probably to check on something." Blue said. "You are a bit annoying pacing around like that. Silver can take care of himself, along with the other especially."

Ameythest dismissed his words immediately. Something was wrong, something was so very very wrong, she could feel it in the air. "What is it…" She whispered to herself, finding her feet had begun to pace again. Her mind returned to the memories of Orre and how he had nearly drowned by sand, all because of her thoughtlessness. What if he was hurt now because she wasn't out there HELPING? The paranoid thoughts bore themselves into her mind, driving her nuts. "ARGH! I can't take it!" She spun on her heels, storming to leave.

"Ameythest, wait!" Green called after her, rising to follow the other girl. "Just sit here and wait for them. They'll be back."

Ameythest grimaced, realizing it was absolutely impossible for her to sit still. "I _can't._" She said in total confidence of her words. "I spent my entire life looking out for myself and now that I have something else, or some_one _else to care about, I'm going to freaking help them. And I have never been able to just sit around and wait." She jabbed a thumb at herself. "I MAKE things happen!" And with that proclamation she strolled out the doors.

Green stared for a second in a bit of disbelief. She then turned to her friends. "I'll be right back guys!" And chased after the other girl who had just stormed out.

"Ameythest, wait!" She called. "I'll come with you!"

"You sure about that?"

"Entirely." She nodded, smiling. "Let's go 'make things happen'!"

Ameythest grinned at the repeated statement. "Now we're talking."


	19. Rally The Troops

**Chapter 18: Rally the Troops**

Silver groaned lowly, his whole body strangely sore and numb at the same time. He recognized the heavy feeling in his head, the strange swimming sensation of his thoughts.

He must be in the hospital again.

He sighed something of frustration, and felt his hands twitch and tingle as little shocks made their way through his body. Had to jump into the fray like that or risk dying for sure. He found that he was more hard-pressed to move than he expected, and wondered just how long he must have been unconscious. His weary thoughts turned to Ameythest and her soft features, and the comforting image of her smile lulled him back into sleep…

Across the room from Silver's, Gold was cringing in pain as jammed the button on his morphine drip. "Electric…had to be fucking electric…" He winced again, feel the shock jolt at him from the inside. At his bedside was his ponytailed wife, Kris, holding tiny a six month old bundle.

"Don't push yourself." She urged, her tone a mix of worry and scolding.

Gold gave up feeling any less pain than this, and fell backwards into his pillow. "Sorry Kris." He mentioned, turning his face to eye his gorgeous wife and their adorable child. "Thanks for bringing Hearts…" He eyed the cooing baby longingly, not daring hold her for risk of sending electricity through the child. Even though his hands itched to do otherwise.

"You shouldn't be here long, sweetie." Kris said encouragingly. "I know you're in a lot of pain, but your doctor said it should pass in a few days."

"Yeah, while they constantly monitor my heart for freak attacks?" He tried his best to remain calm. "I now know what it's like to be a Pikachu!" He grinned, able to smile at that joke at least. It seemed to work, and Kris giggled lightly. But her face fell a little as a thought crossed her mind.

"How's Silver holding up?"

Gold sighed dejectedly. "He's out, last I heard. I guess they want to keep him sedated."

"Poor Silver…" Kris whispered, and the little bundle in her arms squirmed and began to whine and fuss. "Oooh, shshsh , little one…little Hearts…" She grabbed a pre-made bottle from a bag next to her, popping the bottle in the tiny baby's mouth.

Gold watched them, his pain being replaced by the happiness he felt. His gaze drifted to the open door of his room, and he could see across the hall. The door there was led to Silvers room, and he felt a streak of worry for his former rival.

* * *

Ameythest and Green marched around the town, looking for any sign of their missing friends.

"So do you have any idea where you're going?" Green asked.

"Nope."

"Then what was the point of leaving?"

"To not do 'nothing'."

"But what CAN we do?"

"I don't know yet." Ameythest paused, looking around curiously. "Wonder what happened over there?" She asked, pointing to a dispersing crowd of people. The two girls looked at each other, and silently agreed to check it out, strolling over to the chatty crowd.

"Excuse me." Green tapped someone on the back softly. The strange man turned around, looking down on the two newcomers. "Can you tell us what happened here?"

"Um…no one is really sure. A few guys were hurt, but no one knows how or where."

"A few guys?" Green repeated. "What kind of guys, did anyone get a good look at them?"

"No, but…" He frowned, like he was trying to think. The conversation was interrupted by an intimidating screeching that echoed through the air. All eyes spun skyward, and another screech made the inhabitants of Cerulean shiver. Green and Ameythest glanced at each other before the enormous and violent Zapdos came into view, shadowing the street they were standing on. Ameythest's mouth fell open, and electric sparks rained down on the down.

"DOWN!" Green screamed, pushing Ameythest and herself into a covered alley. Thanks to Green's quick actions they narrowly missed a powerful zap of electricity.

"Wow! Thanks…" Ameythest breathed, grateful for the save.

"A Zapdos' electricity could leave you paralyzed for weeks, if it doesn't just jump around in your body."

Ameythest winced. "That sounds like it hurts."

"Probably. We'd better do something about that thing. Ditty." She called out a Ditto, who spotted the giant electric bird and began its unique transmorphasis to copy the Pokémon. "Grab hold!" Green ordered, and the two female trainers took firm hold of the copy Zapdos, and they began to shoot upwards.

"Where's it headed?" Ameythest shouted. Green sat at the top of her Pokémon, eyeing the enemy one carefully.

"It's going to the hospital…why would it?"

Ameythest felt her heart sink far in her chest. "Metagross!" She called, the blue steely Pokémon floating precariously in the air, its legs withdrawn. She hopped onto the Pokémon's smooth surface, rushing ahead of Green.

"What are you doing?!" Green called.

"I think our friends are in trouble!" She called back, urging her Metagross to go faster. "Barrier, Metagross! We don't want to get hit by that lightning at all!"

"Meta…gross…" The Pokémon complied, its eyes glowing with a powerful aura.

Ameythest gritted her teeth, burying her fear deep into the back of heart. That thing was after something or someone specific, that much was obvious.

* * *

The horrendous screeching was what woke Silver, even with sleep inducing and numbing painkillers running deep through his system. He knew what it was, and he struggled against the drugs and sleep to move, to sit up, to do anything. Electricity flicked at his fingertips and insides, and he ripped the first thing he did was rip the IV from his hand. It was approaching, fast. Screeching, more of it, closer this time. He was so dazed, his thoughts a clouded mess. He wished Ameythest was here, with her unshakeable clarity of goals, her optimistic attitude…he had managed to stand, somehow, his footing slow and careful. His belongings were at the foot of the bed. Just a step or two more…

He collapsed, his face smacking the cold, hard floor with little mercy. He did his best to shake off the hit, not feeling the full force thanks to whatever drugs were running through his bloodstream. Just at the foot of the bed…he reached out with his hand, feeling the familiar material of his favorite black jacket. It slid off the small table easily enough, his poke balls rolling out of the pocket and spreading out before him. Luckily the one he wanted had landed just a little to his left, and he stretched to grab the shiny piece of technology.

The door to the room opened, nurses rushing in, obviously trying to evacuate or secure the building and patients. The shouts and commotion from the hallway now filled his ears, causing his already aching head to pound even more.

"What on earth-?!" One of the two nurses exclaimed, watching a weak Silver release a Pokémon from its ball.

The huge, stout Rhyperior roared aggressively, and Silver leaned against it, using it to steady himself to stand. "Out." The weary red head demanded of the nurses.

"Absolutely not!" She scolded. "You are in no condition!"

"Lady, if you don't leave, NOW, then YOU will be in no condition." He glowered at her, his cold, silver eyes condensed into sharp, intimidating slits. The nurses shrank back, and he fingered a second poke ball, releasing his Weaville as well. "Freeze it." He demanded, and the nurses backed out through the door quickly, Weaville shutting the door and freezing the handle.

With the help of his Pokémon, he managed to get dressed properly with minimal time, though it wore him out to complete such a simple action.

A shake rattled the building, and a powerful bolt of electrical energy cut right through the wall of the hospital. Silver pressed himself against the back of Rhyperior, holding Weaville close to his chest until the shaking subsided. He peered out of the side of his sturdy Pokémon, seeing the wall had been cut through just a little bit in the top corner. "Punch it." He ordered, and Rhyperior knocked part of the wall down. With a clear view outside, he could see the rogue legend causing absolute chaos, the local police force already trying everything they could to lock down the creature. They would never have the sheer firepower for something like that, and everyone knew it. He winced in pain as shocks riddled his body, and fought the strange heaviness his limbs seemed to have. Where the hell was Ruby and Gold?

"We're going." Silver declared, letting loose his Honchkrow and mounting it, Weaville sitting easily with him. "Rhyperior. We'll lead it in close. Then hit it best you can." The giant rock of a Pokémon smashed its fists together confidently, and Silver urged his black feathered mount forward. The dove and weaved around stray sparks, but he made sure to try to keep a decent distance from the dangerous Pokémon. It didn't take long for him to notice that the rogue Zapdos wasn't the only problem Cerulean was about to have. A huge shadow came from the direction of the power plant, and if he had to guess, it was an air fortress of some kind. So this was their big move. Attack the enemy while they were weak. It was as pathetic as it was cowardly.

"Augh!" He growled as a tight pain made him double over, and he gasped for Honchkrow to go lower, maybe even land. His Pokémon gave him worried looks, but he waved them off. "I'm fine. Just a little sore. I can manage." But he couldn't ignore the sweat on his forehead and the uncontrollable twitching of his hands. "Have to try." He reasserted himself, looking up with fierce determination. He had gone quite low at this point, nearly ground level, and looking him he now realized that there were several specks closing in on the Zapdos, some faster than others. "Calvary…" He whispered, and a tiredness in his limbs made him slouch lazily. He truly did feel terrible, and maybe just this once, he could try to leave some of the work to the others. Maybe this one time, he wasn't up to tackling the task.

* * *

Red swooped low with his Aerodactyl, wanting desperately to drive the Zapdos away from the city, but it was too focused on some unknown target. He glanced at his side, the clone Pokémon, Mewtwo, hovering next to him. The one of a kind creature had a special connection to him, and their telepathic link filled his head.

"Can you destroy it?" He asked psychically, and the response that came to him echoed in his head like waves.

"I can. It is not stable. It would be easy."

"I won't allow any more injuries. Do it."

Mewtwo inclined his head, his eyes glowing a strange blue. The psychic light enveloped the bird, and it struggled obviously, cawing wildly and send out wild sparks. And then all it once it was gone, a mess of goop and black sludge rather than flesh and bone.

"Sickening…" The voice echoed in his head. "But there is much more to come."

"What?!" Red spun, seeing the looming shadow for the first time, and his features became strained with realization. "Everyone!" He screamed, hoping that all would hear. He had spotted Ameythest just come into view, and a strangely small Zapdos that Green was riding.

Blue, Green, Ruby, Ameythest, and now Sapphire as well. Gold and Silver were both out of commission, and he began to wonder just how many of them would be needed. Not to mention he had absolutely no idea if Ameythest was up to par with his other companions.

They all flew up to him, surrounding him, waiting for words, for a plan. He pointed to the shadow approaching them from the sky. "We're taking the fight to them. If we wish to protect everyone..." He stared at Ameythest specifically. They may need her help, even though her emotions are geared towards seeing Silver again. "…then we have to take them out. All of them."


	20. All My Emotion

**Chapter 19: All My Emotion**

Ameythest couldn't believe she was doing this. She was completely surrounded by trainers that far outclassed her, and had no idea what was expected of her. She began to feel overwhelmed, and they flew fast through the sky. It was strange, so strange to think her goals weren't just hers alone anymore, but a group effort for the benefit of not just their selves. For her, it was the oddest thing imaginable.

They peppered the ship with attacks, beams of energy putting holes through steel and knocking out engines. They managed to crash it a couple miles outside of town, rattling the crew out of their fort. From there it was a flurry of Pokémon fights, Red and a couple of others jumping into the fray like some mad fighter. She lost count of everything that had happened, her heart beating hard in her chest as she focused on keeping herself and her own team steady and focused. The battles seemed to be nonstop, these were no one and one regulated matches. Three of hers would be fending off ten attackers, only successful through sound strategy and impressive endurance. This combined with a decent bit of healing from Carela; she managed to endure as the crowd of enemies quickly began to thin. She noticed the strange purple Pokémon referred to as Mewtwo was beyond capable, but could also be overwhelmed with sheer numbers. She was not a capable fighter herself, and thus avoided direct contact with other trainer's best she could. Finally there was a great break in the battle, and the more cowardly of the hired goons had already fled in defeat. Ameythest dropped her heavy pack, digging out a folded piece of machinery. The Shadow Lugia had dropped it, all that time back in Orre, and she found herself tinkering with it a bit in her spare time. She slid on the strange arm machine, the device fitting more comfortably on her shoulder than she would have imagined.

"What is THAT?" Blue asked harshly, giving her a sharp glare from his front line stance.

"I don't know." Ameythest admitted, making a final adjustment to the odd machine. "But I know it's heavy and probably offers at least some defense."

"Why didn't you put it on before?"

"I don't really want to use a machine I don't understand. But I don't have time to tinker anymore."

Blue glared at her hesitancy, but shrugged. "Whatever."

"What the hell is he doing here?" They all heard Red say, and their gazes turned in curiosity.

Red may have recognized him first, but Ameythest knew that shape anywhere. "SILVER!" She shouted, and Ruby's eyes widened.

"It can't be Silver!" He shouted, earning Ameythests' sudden and full attention.

"Why can't it be?!"

Ruby froze, his look suddenly unsure. "Well…"

For the second time that day, Ameythest wasn't going to get the answers she wanted. The top deck of the fort rocked with another explosion, a giant, black dragon standing at the doorway to the inner parts of the flying base. A small man in what looked like a one-seated personalized hovercraft. She grimaced, this guy had 'twisted boss man' written all over him, and his insane cackled didn't help matters.

"Bring the fight to me instead, huh?" The small man began to laugh, twisting some knobs and buttons on his one person transport. "You've brought me just what I needed."

In a sea of confused faces, Red's stood out with clear understanding and fear. "SILVER!" He screamed, hoping the red haired man would hear him. "TURN BACK!"

The floor shook underneath them, and they were suddenly faced with a Heatran, a Regirock, and a Ho-Oh, all which had torn through to the deck from the lower levels.

"Clones…" Red muttered, eyeing the new enemies wearily. "An army of legendary clones…"

"Near perfect replicas!" The short boss man screeched. "One small element still missing from the process. A binding material the program was redesigned around." Ameythest spotted him in between the new frightful opponents, and evil grin on his face. "They need a bit more…Rocket…"

And with that, they were attacked, the Pokémon called Mewtwo distracting one all on his own, unable to unravel the unstable clone without a proper fight. He managed to steer the Regirock away, leaving the top of the fortress a mass battle of three sections, Red and Sapphire versus Heatran, Blue and Ruby against the Zekrom, and Green and Lance toe to toe with Ho-Oh. Ameythest forced her team to disperse, each of her Pokémon aiding in whatever way they could, but ultimately she wasn't a fighter. Not someone who could make much of a difference at this point.

"Ameythest!" Red screamed, grabbing her attention and swaying her thoughts from her strategy-making. "You HAVE to go and get Silver out of here! He wants Silver!"

Why did he want Silver? Why him specifically? She questioned herself, but decided it wasn't time to think about it too much. She called her Tropius to her, mounting it and ready to fly off…but Zekrom intercepted them fast as lightning, blocking any hope of her leaving the area. Zekrom roared, his black skin dripping with a strange black muck. Unstable clones…

She dodged the bright blue balls of cracking energy, and Blue and Ruby tried to work together to pin him down, to help her escape…

* * *

Silver knew he was getting close, the crash, smoldering fortress plain in sight at this point. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Have to fight." He repeated to himself, his fists clenched. "Can't let them…" His thoughts trailed off, clouded in the haze of strong prescription drugs and a crippling pain that had started to leak into his body. But these things didn't matter for the moment, as he wouldn't let anything else happen. His vision narrowed as he saw the Zekrom move in front of the figure who tried to leave, and he gripped a poke ball carefully in his hand. Honchkrow increased its speed, and they swooped down, getting Silver close enough to release his Rhyperior in front of the angry Zekrom clone. They landed, and Silver roughly dismounted his Honchkrows back.

"NOW!" An unfamiliar voice screeched, and the next thing he knew, he was surrounded by four very strong legendary clones. Red's voice cried, "YOU IDIOT!" And the unfamiliar one called again. "Crush him, smash him! And then bring his broken body to me!"

Silver's eyes widened in shock as they advanced on him, the strange circle a deathly trap that he just fell into.

But more surprising than this was that the Regirock suddenly disappeared in a flash of bright light, a shaking poke ball in its place. There was the most unusual moment of silence as the ball shook once, twice…and then the click of a perfect capture.

"WHAT?!" Nobody was quiet sure who all shouted the word at once and who was stunned to silence. Ameythest had no idea why it had happened or exactly when her instincts took over entirely, but she sprinted to Silver's side putting him between herself and his Honchkrow.

"YOU CAN'T FUCKING HAVE HIM!" She screamed, her arms spread, thinking herself a human barrier at this point.

Red saw his opportunity, drawing the attention of one of the clones with a well placed hit, Mewtwo under his command. The others quickly followed suit, and the fighting resumed, leaving Silver and Ameythest to stare down the tiny man in a hovercraft.

"That's a snag machine, how did you get a snag machine, WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?!" The man demanded, and Ameythest glanced at the machinery on her arm.

"Snag machine?"

"YES YOU MORON THAT THING ON YOUR ARM!"

Ameythest hadn't let herself move, hadn't let her arms down at all. She longed to turn around and hold Silver, to kiss him and tell him she loved him, but it would just have to wait, it burned badly in her heart but it HAD to wait.

The little man sent out his own personal Houndoom, and it charged them, the attacks instantly blocked by Silver's Rhyperior, who had made his way over to defend his trainer.

"Oh for pete's sake…have to do everything myself." He avoided the fighting pocket monsters and swerved to over where Ameythest stood…

Silver stared up at her in shock, his brain too numb from far too many things to act properly about it. He thought he felt anger but then realized he was too happy to see her to keep his anger present. He then realized he was too worried about her safety to stay happy. This emotional transition kept him unmoving and thinking as clearly as he could for a few solid minutes, and it wasn't until the man had approached them did he realize the dangers. "Ameythest-" He started, but his voice was too weak. His energy felt sapped, and he suddenly felt helpless.

Ameythest glared at the man, he stopped several yards away from them yet. "You will hand Silver over to me." He stated flatly.

"You're not laying a damn hand on him." She sneered back.

"Come now, stop being so selfish. The son of Giovanni is an important asset to the Rockets."

Ameythest felt her anger snap, a violent yell filling her throat as she charged the cocky bastard and sought to dig her fist into any part she could hit. Her legs sprinted her forward, she moved faster and faster, and found herself leaping to come down hard-

And the tiny man pulled out a gun and fired.

The shot reverberated through the air, a sound that marked death, a depressing, gut-wrenching sound that was impossible, no it really was impossible-!

Silver felt his hands shake, his lips quivering. He watched, it seemed like slow motion, but he watched as Ameythests body fell ungracefully to the ground, hitting the cold metal with a clunk, and blood pooling where she lay. His hands twitched, the pain from the electricity bouncing around in his body incomparable to the knife that had just stabbed his heart. The heart that he once thought empty and doomed to forever be lonely now felt like it was bleeding a river of sorrow, a sorrow that he wasn't sure was even real yet.

But there she lay.

Drowning in her own blood.

A cocky laughter filling his ears.

Something picked him up, helped his feet move forward, and before he realized what had happened he had ran to her side, screaming her name and the unshed tears flowed freely down his face.

For some reason, this enraged the tiny man, enraged him to a point of boiling anger. "What is this?! How the hell could you care so much?!"

Silver stood, his face a mess, his hair a mess, his emotions and body completely wrecked. Over all a total and utter mess. He reached into the small hovercraft, picking the tiny man up by the collar of his shirt and slamming him into the hard steel of the fort deck. This had shocked the man so much he was left unable to fight back temporarily, but Silver used this opportunity to right out wail on the guy, pinning the small frame to the ground and using his heavy fists to pound the ever-loving crap out of his face.

"I LOVE HER!" He screamed.

Thud. He felt the nose crack under his fist.

"SHE WAS MY EVERYTHING!"

Wham. Felt like he knocked loose a tooth that time.

"MY HAPPINESS!"

Thock. This guys brain might be mush by now.

"_**MY**_ AMEYTHEST!"

Pow. The tiny mans neck cracked unnaturally, and he was beaten beyond recognition. Silver sat there, straddled across the man's body, his own chest heaving rapidly. Blood soaked his leather-clad fists, and he screamed a cry of frustration and pain, his world seemingly collapsed around him. He began to cry, not caring who saw his emotions, his pain, his broken heart. It just didn't seem to matter all of a sudden.

And underneath him, a cracking laughter. "F-fine…" The strange man spat blood at him, bringing Silvers rage to an entirely new boiling point. "Be that way. Kill me. But this will kill you all."

Silver heard a click, staring at the man's hand, some sort of remote control that he had pressed. He looked around, and realized that everyone was staring at him. His tear-streaked face and messy hair was the last thing he wanted them all to see. But it didn't matter. Not really.

Not anymore.

The clones had all been reduced to heaping piles of sludge, having pushed their limits and simply disintegrating. So they all stared at him with a downcast look, a cross between shame and pity worn on their crestfallen faces.

"Shut up. All of you." He said standing, wondering how the fuck he was ever going to recover from this, in more than one way. He turned to Ameythest's crumpled form, approaching her gently. He sat on his knees, his many kinds of pain and numbness hitting him too hard to do anything properly at this point.

And the ground underneath them began to shake.


	21. Sorrows

**Chapter 20: Sorrows**

Silver carefully cradled the limp body in his harms, blood soaking his jacket and the red stark on his white pants. He had no idea how he was even able to move at this point, by all means he should be completely paralyzed, but he managed to find the strength to keep moving, pushing himself to go forward. The shaking intensified, and Red had eventually ran to his side, pushed him onto his Honchkrow and forced him to take off. The group of defenders had all taken to the sky, watching as what remained of the steel fortress burst open, revealing a long, snake like green dragon.

"Rayquaza…" Ruby whispered under his breath.

Red glared at the beast, it's obviously violent nature staring them down. He adjusted his baseball cap, turning to Mewtwo for advice.

"What's different about it?" He asked the powerful psychic creature.

"It's complete, like me. Entirely stable, but filled with violence. It will not disintegrate like the others."

Red grimaced; Mewtwo and many others were already pushing their limits. It would be a close call.

"Everyone, do your best! We can do this if we work together!"

What looked back at him were hardened looks of determination, save for one that he felt they could really use…

Silver cradled Ameythest carefully, his Pokémon struggling slightly with the cumbersome rider. Tears filled his eyes, and he apologized to his Honchkrow, clumsily shifting to Ameythest's Tropius who hovered next to them. Tropius groaned lowly, worried about his trainer. Silver rested Ameythest against the thick neck of the flying Pokémon, getting a good look at her face. Being able to look at her, to really look for the first time in a long time, he noticed that her chest still moved ever so slightly in an uneven rhythm.

He tore at her clothes, desperate for a good look at the bleeding wound. He finally found the bare skin, covered in blood but the flow lessening. The bullet had pierced her straight through, but it had hit just above her stomach, not her lungs or heart…

He heard her groan and hiss in pain, a light cough on her lips. He tore her shirt hastily, pressing a make shift bandage into the wound to stem the blood flow. "Ameythest? Ameythest, can you hear me?"

The dazed girl's eyes fluttered open slowly, and she jolted in pain. "What happened?"

"You were shot. Sweetheart, Ameythest, please tell me you're okay…" His voice cracked, and she opened her eyes to look at him.

His features were distraught and strained, and he looked absolutely exhausted. "Oh Silver…" She breathed lightly.

He shook. "No, don't worry about me. We're gonna get you to a hospital, w-we're…"

"Silver. Behind you. That's a Rayquaza, isn't it?" Even through blurry eyes she could see the battle raging behind them.

"They can take care of it." He stated. "We need to go."

"Silver please. I want to help."

He gritted his teeth in frustration, upset that her willingness to go back after what had just happened. Those crisp, clear goals still in her mind, no doubt. "No." He stated strongly. "The battle is over for us." Relief washed through him, a strange tingling sensation along with it. The strange tingly numbness from before, and he figured that maybe the medications running through his system were starting to run low. His adrenaline dying down made his vision blurry again, and he found that he had to fight unconsciousness until they had landed.

* * *

Ameythest awoke suddenly, like a splash of cold water had hit her face. She stared at the bright white ceiling for a few seconds, realizing she was in a hospital bed. This didn't surprise her, for she had just dreamt about the moment she was shot, the sound from her dream jolting her awake like it did.

"It's about time you woke up."

Ameythest turned her head to her left, seeing Silver, his bed put up right next to hers, and he was eating hungrily from a tray. She stared, wondering what in the world he had told them to allow this kind of arrangement. "What-"

He stopped her by holding up his hand, smiling softly. "My friends and I pulled a few strings. There's no danger anyway, so what was the point of being secluded in our own rooms?"

Okay, that made sense. She attempted to sit further up, but Silver held his arm across his chest. "No." He said rather seriously. "Not yet. You could bust a stitch."

Ameythest frowned, but nodded silently, and pushed herself gently up with the electronic controls on the bed. She winced as the movement made her side burn, but was happier that she was able to look at Silver properly.

"So." He started between mouthfuls of food. "You came all the way out here because you missed me?"

"Professor Oak's line went dead." She said slowly. "I was getting really worried without any contact."

"You understand why I didn't call you?"

She paused, thinking about it a moment. "Lead the enemy to another area?" Specifically, to her.

"I didn't want to risk it." He let his hand fall overtop of hers lovingly though. "But I am sorry it got to this point."

She felt her lips curl into a smile, wishing she could move to cuddle into him more. "It's all right…" Then a strange thought crossed her mind, and she looked at him bewildered. "What _are _you doing here anyway? You didn't get hurt…"

"Ah…about that…" His hand flinched nervously, he been debating on to whether or not tell her what had happened to him. In the end, secrets were usually the bad option, though. "I was zapped by lightning from that Zapdos before it came into town. It's temporary, but my nervous system is a little…twitchy, without medicine."

"Silver!" She scolded, surprise filling her face. "You should be more careful!"

"Yes." He began sarcastically. "This coming from the same person who ran right into a gunshot."

She was at a loss, and decided to not respond at it, as there was no excuse for it. The silence hung around shortly, and Silver rubbed her fingers absent-mindedly.

"The doctor wanted to talk to us about something. After you woke up." He said.

"What about?"

"I'm not sure. He wouldn't say much beyond that…which, trust me, I fought but I guess it's something than concerns you more than it does me."

"I don't like policies." She said sighing.

"Me neither, but its fine.

"You sure?" She asked dejectedly. "I'm a little worried…"

"Hey…I'm right here…" He leaned over to her, brushing his fingers against her cheeks softly. "Everything will be okay now." He caressed her face lovingly, longing for either of them to have the strength to act upon their feelings. He settled for bringing her hand to his lips, kissing the soft skin gently, and he pressed the call button on the side of his own bed.

She gripped his hand tightly, the man in a white lab coat looking at them with a rather blank face. He glanced at a chart he was holding and nodded to himself. "Good to see you're finally awake. How are you feeling?" His tone seemed to express genuine concern, and Ameythest twiddled her fingers against the bed sheets.

"Tired." She said honestly. "A little sore."

"That's normal. No fever, no cold sweats, or anything making you feel uncomfortable?"

She wanted to say 'you', but held her tongue, thinking better of it. Physically she did feel what as about normal for the situation. "No."

"Good." He sat, then pulled a chair up for himself, sitting down casually at the foot of the bed. His face fell, and he looked at the two expectantly. "I really hate to ask this…but what exactly is your relationship?"

Ameythest frowned, and Silver looked puzzled. "Is it important?" She asked, deathly curious.

"Yes." The doctor replied. He seemed sad.

"We're dating." Silver responded for her, sensing her uneasiness.

The doctor nodded, his full attention on Ameythest.

"Now this I need to hear from you. Have you been sexually active, and for how long if so?"

"Why the hell do you need to know that!?" Silver demanded, but Ameythest tried to stop him, pulling him back.

"Yes…and…several months." She felt her hands shake. There was only one reason as to why this could be important, even though it shouldn't have happened….

"Then I really am sorry, both of you. You were pregnant, Ameythest. You lost the baby in the surgery."

Silver felt his heart skip a beat, and he spun to look at her, silent tears beginning to run down her cheeks.

"I'm assuming you didn't know…" The doctor asked gently.

She shook her head, afraid of what would happen if she were to speak. He nodded silently, leaving the room so they could be alone.

Silver had no idea what to say or how to speak. It felt like someone had just stolen his voice box and punched a little hole through his heart. He wasn't sure how to take the news, or whether or not to be more shocked by the fact that Ameythest _was _pregnant or that they had just lost what was going to be their first child together. He realized that he had been shaking, an emotional shock running through his body, making his mind work in overdrive to keep up with his racing thoughts. He decided that what he needed to do right now was hold Ameythest in any way that he could.

She cried quietly, watching Silver as he slipped out of his bed, walking a little unevenly, watching him round the end of her bed and come up on the other side. With his help, she managed to scoot to the edge, grateful for the metal bedrails. He tightened the covers over her, and carefully lay next to her, gingerly slipping his hand under her and cradling her head in the crook of his elbow. He looked down at her, those large, violet orbs of her eyes welling with tears. His other armed wrapped naturally around her waist, though he had to hold her loosely from the injury.

It wasn't until his lips brushed her forehead that she felt her sadness break, everything inside of her seeming to crack at once, and her tears burst forth, her entire body shaking as she sobbed loudly. Even though she hadn't know, even though she knew they weren't ready, even though it was sudden and crazy and just absolutely ludicrous, it was Silvers and hers, something the could've shared, something they could've had together. But it was gone now, and it would never be that same one.


	22. Precious Stones

**Chapter 21: Precious Stones**

_**1 year later**_

* * *

Ameythest and Silver sat at the long table, a violet and red lacy tablecloth glittered with confetti and some sort of shiny dust spread out in front of them. Gold sat on the other side of Silver, and Green was next to Ameythest. Beyond that, the tables in front of them were filled with friendly faces, more friends than family; the only direct member available was Ameythests mother. They had decided on a very small wedding, for obvious reasons. Silver adjusted his tux, trying to loosen the collar some on the tight-fitting clothing. He seemed weary of the entire scenario, as if there was still a great uncertainty in his mind. She reached from under the table, clasping her hand with his, and he looked at her, a modest smile of silent thanks on his face. For his normally harsh features and shooting glares, he really was very shy.

She smiled, finding him completely adorable and at the same time downright sexy in the smooth black attire. There would be no speech of thanks or great proclamations at this particular wedding, just many happy faces and plenty of cake. Lots of cake. But Ameythest sighed in boredom, for she had finished her meal a little too soon, and Silver seemed simply too nervous to eat much at all. She leaned on him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"So." He said, though he only said it so there wouldn't be silence. His face was rather red, and Ameythest took note at just how much alcohol he had-without food, especially.

It was quite a bit.

"You all right?"

"Fine!" He said a little quickly, his face flushed.

She giggled. "Why don't we start the dance a little early?" She whispered in his ear.

His face contorted, displeasure at the idea of dancing was obvious. He took another long drink from the glass in front of him before answering. "Yeah, sure. Why not."

Ameythest led her new but intoxicated husband to the dance floor, earning some wandering looks as it was still a little early, but she didn't care. The DJ started the music anyway, the song she and Silver had picked out ringing in her ears, the slow, steady tune leading her soul.

Silver flushed deeply, his feet awkward as he tried to lead her properly. He wasn't the best at this, that much everyone knew. But that combined with his shy nature and intoxicated state…well; Ameythest giggled as he tripped once, but reassured him with a peck on the cheek. They danced, a bit clumsily, until the soft song ended. He blushed ferociously, and she smiled at the matching cheeks and hair, running her fingers through the thick, soft locks. "Relax." She whispered. "You're with me now, remember?"

He felt his head spun a little from the consumption of too much alcohol, and his eyes raked over the form of his newlywed wife in her sleeveless white dress that hugged her body in all the right places. His lopsided grin gave away his intentions, and he spun Ameythest away from him, only to pull her back into his arms, her back resting comfortably against his change as he buried his face into her soft neck.

"Silver, we're not alone." She reminded him, an embarrassed flush gracing her face.

He stopped, pushing her away reluctantly, deciding he had little care for what the others thought at this point.

Ameythest gave him a sly look before flouncing off to mingle. She watched as she greeted their friends, and he decided it would be good sport to be by her side.

They approached Red, who was sitting with a long-haired blonde and a small child. Blue also sat at the table, and Green approached them with interest. "Congratulations." Red said simply, looking up at the new couple.

Silver nodded, too drunk to talk straight so he just smiled.

"Sorry." Ameythest said apologetically. "I think he's had one too many…"

"It doesn't surprise me." Red replied, shrugging. "He's always been one for the alcohol." He was referring to times before Ameythest. Silver wasn't always a mellow drunk. He sipped at his own hard drink with satisfaction. "Oh, I'm sorry. You haven't met my wife yet."

"Wife?" Ameythest asked, surprised. Red seemed sincere enough, but the fact surprised her none the less.

"This is Yellow." He gestured toward the blonde, who wore her long hair up in a ponytail. She smiled meekly. "A pleasure." She greeted.

"Don't let her shyness fool you; she has the heart of a lion." Red said grinning. "And this…" He snatched the small child up, who had apparently tried to run away from the table. "…this is our daughter."

"Oh my." Ameythest stared at the child with wide eyes, leaning down to address her at eye level. "And what's your name, sweetie?"

"I'm Orange!" The little girl proclaimed happily, her golden hair flicking about her face wildly.

Ameythest stared, her brain clicking.

Behind her, Silver couldn't hold his intoxicated snickers, and to add insult to injury, Blue decided to comment on the previously unknown fact. "Really Red? You went there?"

He glared at his old rival. "Oh shut up. It's cute." He responded, patting his daughter gently on the head.

"So if Blue and I ever had a kid we would name it Aqua?" Green asked nonchalantly, which made Blue cough on his drink.

"What do you mean kids with you?! We're not dating!"

"It was hypothetical Blue; you know I have a boyfriend."

Yellow giggled at the interaction, and beckoned their daughter to her lap, at which the child squealed in delight.

Ameythest took the opportunity to step away, wanting to greet Ruby and Sapphire as well, but they sat at a table by themselves and seemingly preoccupied with each other's lips. There was another, rather short man she had never met before, Emerald, and he sat with Kris and her now year and a half old infant, Hearts. They seemed to be chatting about some old adventures. She felt her heart glow with love, and turned to face her mother.

* * *

It was a long and exhausting day, and Ameythest collapsed on the bed in the hotel room. Neither of them had ever been to Unova before, and they had travelled to Undella Town for their honeymoon. She was still in her dress, and Silver fell down on the bed next to her, rubbing his fingers through his hair. "What a day." He sighed.

She grinned at him. "Got married."

"Ugh, I acted like a drunken moron." He said, already regretting his previous behavior.

"Oh you. Always focusing on the negatives. Besides, you're allowed." She rolled over, wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling him roughly for a deep kiss. "We had a long ride. I'd really like to get out of this dress…"

At this Silver grinned wide, immediately moving his hands to undo the snaps and fastens on the back of the complex piece of clothing. She flushed, the clothing now much easier to remove as he slid the dress down, kissing her shoulders and breasts and every other inch of skin that was uncovered.

The clothing pooling at her waist, he ripped off his own jacket, fumbling with the many buttons of the white undershirt. Ameythest sat up to help, undoing the clothing so she could run her hands over his gorgeous chiseled chest. She would never tire of seeing him shirtless, she decided. He was too good looking.

Once he was free on the confining jacket, he pushed the rest of her dress off, letting it lie on the floor. He paused only for a second, looking at her with a bittersweet face. "Are we trying tonight?" He asked her, a touch of sorrow straining his voice.

Ameythest thought a moment, counting the days in her head. "Yes." She responded simply, and he hugged her, holding her fast to him. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Silver, we've discussed this a thousand times. We want nothing more." She stated, looking him straight in the eye. "It would make me happy, you happy…I feel its bad enough to have waited this long, but we both wanted to get married first…"

He nodded, agreeing with her. "You're right. I'm just making sure."

"Second thoughts?" She wondered at him, and he smiled softly.

"No. I'm just afraid that you'll be disappointed."

Ameythest looked at his sweet face, her heart filled with so much love for this man that it hurt. They hadn't told a soul of the baby lost in the battle that year ago, and it made them realize that it would, very much indeed, make them perfectly happy to be a right, proper family, kids and all. She was nearing twenty-seven now, and she wanted to be able to enjoy her children, so the time was actually very good. And he agreed.

He rolled down her stocking, kissing her thighs and legs on the way, loving every little motion, moan and movement she made. There wasn't any awkward tension between them anymore, only heated breaths and struggling to excite each other to new and exciting heights. He kissed her deeply, his fingers falling to the spot between her legs and enticing her to open up to him. She gasped panting breaths, everything in her body on sudden fire. "I don't want to wait!" She cried desperately, staring up at him with a face so red and full of lust that he was afraid he was going to lose his sanity.

But he grinned darkly, moving up her body and showing his erectness close to her face.

She wrapped her fingers around the heated flesh, longing to feel it inside of her instead of in her hand. But she knew what he wanted, and felt her own excitement and need grow as her tongue worked around his thickness, saliva and something else with a tangy taste dripping from her mouth.

Oh it felt good, her head bobbing up and down with swift movements, and he knew she was desperate for him to have his way with her. Thus far they had tried to remain as controlled as possible, resisting the urge to do too much until they were properly married. It was a bit on the silly side, but it did feel nice to be recognized as a unit, to be truly and wholly together, and this…this physical joining.

Oh but it was sweet. Silver felt his breath become short, heated pants, and he pushed her back, laying her down and kissing every piece of skin his lips came into contact with. She smelled of strong alcohol and a sickly sweet shampoo. She must have gotten the last piece of clothing off of herself sometime when he was distracted, and discarded the remainder of his own clothing hastily.

He towered over her, strong arms supporting his as she wiggled underneath him. She teased her entrance with the smooth tip of his thick flesh, and she made the cutest little squeal.

"What's the matter?" He teased, in more ways than one.

"You're-driving-me-crazy!" She breathed, desperate to push her hips down but he was holding her tightly, controlling her hips.

"That's the idea." And he teased her more, waiting until she was practically screaming at him, before he sank into her warm muscles, the wet heat spreading throughout both of their bodies.

"Wait…" She stated, and though it was a little bit of a tricky maneuver, she managed to roll over onto her stomach, her twisting insides making Silver twitch and stare. She held herself up with her arms, the feeling mutual. "O-okay…" She breathed, and Silver started to move carefully, his member hitting parts of her that had her twitching involuntarily and when it really drove her mad, she screamed his name. He soon found himself unable to control much more, and the tension between them was building faster than usual.

The sensitivity was too much for her to take, and she felt her hips began to rock against him in desperation. They moved faster and faster, until she could finally do nothing but screech and holler and he pounded himself into her roughly. Her climax came fast and hard, so much so that she had to bite into a pillow just to be able to take it, and a moment later, somewhere between her dazed look and clearing thoughts, she felt him empty inside of her with a satisfying groan, and the both just collapsed, lying comfortably together in total nakedness. Exhausted from the excursion, and the long day, they snuggled under the covers, her back to his chest, his arm around her waist, and his hand near her lips so she could kiss them at will.

"Good night, my lovely little wife." He had whispered happily.

Ameythest smiled, knowing that tomorrow was the start of a new life, of just her and him…of them.

Of Ameythest and Silver and their new dreams and goals.

The dreams unknown.


	23. BONUS- Silver's Thoughts

**Bonus chapter! Silver's Thoughts**

**I realized I hadn't gotten quite as much Silver in the chapters as I had originally wanted. This is kind of a habit of mine, though, doing a short recap story in the form of the 'other' side of the relationship. It's a bit darker than Ameythest's line of thinking, but for good reason. Either way I enjoyed writing this more than some parts of the main story at all. **

**I am DEBATING on writing a darker sequel to this. Curious about how maybe one would turn out. But I'm not very good at dark sometimes. So I'm not sure. **

**To whoever has read this, I'd love to hear your opinions on it. I feel that this fic was weaker than some of my other writings, some points I'm really really happy with and others not so much. The drama was on the lackluster side and the smut was okay. But eh, it was kind of meant to just be a cute little love story, I guess. It works well enough for just that alone. Thanks for stopping to read the notes. **** Appreciate it. **

What the hell was he thinking?

This girl, this total stranger of really just an odd girl had him gabbing away like he was a normal freaking person or something. Why, of all times in his life did he pick NOW to be able to open up to somebody? He had no idea if it was her accepting gaze or more than willing ears that would probably listen for hours, but she was just so damn EASY to talk to! He had no idea whether to be elated or infuriated by the fact, and they just kept talking away like they were old friends. It was so strange.

He looked at her, his cool, calm gaze raking over her soft features. If he had to pick a word to describe her, it would be lavender. She looked of it, and smelled of it, and he realized he had never been so physically attracted to anyone quite that strongly before. Lucky for him he was fairly decent at controlling those particular emotions and managed to focus on other things instead.

* * *

The situation had gone so terribly wrong, and he wanted to cover himself from the shame of failure. The sting in his emotions was not a new feeling, but it was just as unpleasant none the less. His chest burned like fire and he tried to eat carefully from the hospital bed, hoping, wishing to be out quickly. He shuddered involuntarily at the memory of strange instruments being shoved down his throat, the gagging, and the puking…he wasn't used to being so…touched….

He managed to stop himself, trying to let the idea of the physical intrusion pass in his head as a necessary evil, no matter how much it bothered him. He stared at the food in front of him, and fingered the odd little trinket that was left at his bedside. It was a pretty little thing, the oddest mixture of minerals and rock he had ever laid eyes on. His gaze glanced to the sleeping form on the hospital couch in the small room, a couple of already well-read comic books littered about her. The last thing he noticed before returning to his meal was the small, square shaped medicine box that he would have to rely on for awhile. He shuddered again, the haunting feeling that his body had been recently violated still lingering in the back of his mind…

* * *

Fucking damn it. Why? Why did I just spout all those things to her?! He felt her stroking his back gently, his emotions leveling out from the outburst. God, that was embarrassing as hell...she wasn't just too easy to talk to, for some reason she was _dangerously _easy to talk to. His face and eyes red, he realized that he did feel so much better, although he was still a bit ashamed to admit it. He realized that deep down she was right about him, that he couldn't risk hurting himself and his frustration reaching a boiling point was dangerous. It was just so weird and odd because he had never had anyone be quite so worried about him before. Maybe Green, but she was hardly around. And having travelled with this girl? Living with her almost steadily for this long? She was as caring as she was happy and exuberant, something he had come to find almost endearing at this point. And if that wasn't weird…he looked her in the eyes, muttering some apology for his behavior, and she shocked him by gently washing off his face like some nursemaid to a child. But it felt…good? She didn't notice the slight blush, since his face was already tinged from crying. He wanted to scowl at himself some, wallow a little in his hurt pride, but that wasn't going to happen, because the kiss on his forehead made his thoughts turn to something else entirely, forcing his heart to thump roughly against his ribcage.

* * *

Maybe he didn't want to leave her.

Maybe he never wanted to leave her.

Fuck, what was he thinking?! Her looks were too tempting. He had to get away from her, at least for some time, to sort his feelings out about this. They were a jumbled mess of confused emotions, ranging from wanting to shut her out completely to wanting to throw his arms around her and claim her for himself. He hung around Oak's for a couple of months, simply to because he realized he wasn't ready to be alone yet. The wizened professor had mentioned he was more somber than usual, and he expressly forbade him to give Ameythest his contact information in case she called. He still had to figure it out on his own. He just had no idea how, and he wasn't close enough to anyone else to really talk about it seriously. His thoughts turned to Green again, maybe contacting her…but he hated to rip out of her travelling just for his sake. So he brooded around the professor's lab for a couple of months before heading home, to brood by himself. Oak's incessant curiosity about the situation becoming too infuriating to stand.

But then she called him. Against his wishes, she had managed to squeeze the one piece of information she needed from sleepy professor, and his heart skipped a beat in his chest when he saw her on his home videophone. Their conversation made him realize….maybe he couldn't figure out his feelings on his own. Maybe he _did_ need to see her again to make him realize what it all meant to him. He cursed his own weakness, vowing to head back to Hoenn as soon as he was properly packed.

* * *

Why, why, WHY is it never easy?! Why is it every time he found a glimmer of light in his life something always managed to wrap the shrouding darkness around it, threatening to engulf the tiny bit of happiness he could possibly have at all?! First he escaped his childhood kidnapper, then he managed to try to find his father, only to have that an entire fiasco, and then when he did find his father...he shuddered at the memory, and after being separated once again, he had found his father the second and last time a couple of years later. Dying of disease.

No happy ending. No family. No love to call his own.

And he stared in horror as Ameythest's body was flung down by the powerful electrical blast, she and her Pidgeot falling hard to the ground at breakneck speed. He urged Honckrow to go faster, as fast as it could…but he knew it was just too late and she would have hit the ground no matter what. The large bird let out a shriek, taking the majority of the impact for its trainer, weakly wrapping its feathered wings around the bruised and singed girl.

She was his one shot, he realized, in that split second where time had seemed to stop entirely. He was at ease around her enough he might actually be able to pull off a normal relationship, something he desperately wanted, no, he needed it at this point. He stared at her broken and battered body, his legs lead weights on the ground, finding something inside of him snap into place.

He was so alone.

Until he remembered the way she smiled.

He dialed the number on his poketech rapidly, praying that the one person who could make it in time would pick up. He stared up at the threat, at the defensiveness of Ameythest's personal 'collection' of friends, and couldn't help but once again be impressed by the sheer mass of everything she had. EVERYONE here was happy, and that happiness was created because of her. It's something she was willing to risk her life for, protecting this happiness she forged with her dreams and hard work.

He decided right then and there he would be no happier than helping her with that task.

"Red here." The call on his poketech went through.

* * *

The best months of his entire life, he thought to himself decidedly, slouching low in the thick couch, his alcohol in one hand, his girlfriends shoulder in the other, an entertaining movie on the television. He relished the feel of her body as she laughed at jokes, and felt a smile creep along his face when she pouted at something cute or sad happening on the television screen. So this was a normal life? This is what it was like to actually live instead of just floating through your days like nothing was ever going to change? He smiled. Dear God was he enjoying himself, for the first time in his life, he was feeling what he needed.

Love.

Red's hasty explanation did little to calm his nerves, and he regretted that he had to leave Ameythest so abruptly, hated the way she grasped his arm and looked at him as he ran off. Broke his heart. But his friends had asked for his help. That's something he never refused. Even though it meant possibly tangling with the very people he never wanted to mix with again. Dammit…they just kept coming back. Knock one person down and another would replace him. Like a reoccurring nightmare, they kept returning…

* * *

Fuck. He didn't want this.

The pokemon surrounded him, his companions and friends desperately trying to get the attention of the poorly made clones and break the circle.

Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck. His mind raced, unable to comprehend the situation being as exhausted as he was. Somewhere in his mind he recognized the capturing glow of a poke ball consuming one of the threats, and he spotted her. Dear, sweet, clear-minded Ameythest, rushing towards him as fast as her legs could carry her.

FUCK! What was she doing here?! His rapidly moving gaze tried to grasp the faces of his companions, of Red and Ruby and the rest. There were too busy, and somewhere in his whirlwind of emotions he felt relief. He couldn't show weakness now. Fucking dammit, that's why he didn't want her here! How was he supposed to think straight if he was constantly worried about her?! She wasn't as competent a fighter as the rest of them. He hadn't even told his friends, too prideful to admit he might have something has soft as a girlfriend he actually truly cares about.

Then it hit him as she stood in front of him, her arms spread, screaming her lungs out. _He_ was the helpless one right now. _He_ was the one that needed protection. She bared her bravery like a shield, teeth gritted and her jaw set in determination.

He reached his hand up weakly to touch the edge of her jacket…

And then she ran…

And ran.

And with a piercing sound that rang in his ears for what suddenly seemed like hours, his entire world just shattered.

Again. Again the darkness threatened to swallow up his gleaming little light.

Again the darkness would succeed in taking away the one thing he needed.

Maybe this time he would succumb to the insanity. Maybe this time he really couldn't turn back.

The thought of him going crazy at losing everything-for what seemed like the hundredth time in his life- made his mind snap. He had no idea how it happened, but his body moved of his own accord, his mind blind with total anger and fury. He could hardly remember what happened next, just that when he came down from his rage-fueled violent high he was covered in blood that wasn't his, a puny little man dying underneath him.

What he had to do now was save what little dignity he had left, and tend to Ameythest.

* * *

Thank God. ThankGodThankGodThankGod. She was alive. She was going to be okay. Before that he had just sat in his white sheeted hospital bed, fearing that his mind would slip into hysteria if his little light was extinguished once again. For hours it was all he could do, is sit there, clutching his own red hair, rooting himself into not moving at all, fearing to crack under anything said or done to him. He took no visitors, fearing his friends seeing him like this. He knew they would protest later, but he didn't care. He was too afraid of being talked to until he knew his sanity was safe. The drugs helped him rest physically but his mind was far too gone at this point to allow any sort of real rest. Until the white-coated doctor came in, telling him she was going to be fine with rest. He felt the insanity fade away into the abyss of his dark, tainted mind, replaced by a light. Such a warm, glowing light. Based on the current situation, they were permitted to share a room. The hospital was short on rooms due to the attack anyway.

He felt elated to be able to hold her hand while she slept, the idea of her safety settling in his mind like a soft, fluffy cloud. A cloud he could sleep on. And sleep he did, unknowing of the last little bit of news he would have to deal with before continuing on as before. Before being happy again.

* * *

Married. Him, married. It made him tingly nervous and content all at once. He looked at her timidly, knowing they were planning on starting their family soon. That's why he couldn't stop drinking, he figured. The marriage was more than just their final step of unification. It was their sign to start their own family, wholly and completely. And the idea of being a father…

He grimaced, downing another drink, to unsettled to eat as his stomach was in knots. His thoughts turned to his own father, and his total lack of real parenting in his life. How the hell was he supposed to do this? Then he saw Ameythests smiling face, that twinkle in her eyes, and the slight sadness she still sometimes showed from her-no, from _their_ previous loss. He would be okay with it once it happened, he was sure. He had poured himself into researching himself, reading all the mentality books, about how a father doesn't ever really know how he's going to react to a child until they meet them and stuff like that. Plus he had Ameythest, his support and love, his bright, glowing light in the darkness of his life. And sometimes, when he really thought about it, when that sly little smile of happiness crossed his face, he imagined a second tiny light alongside it, growing into something he could be truly proud of. He had done it. Finally, after years of clawing around searching for himself, he had found a way to be loved.

Yes. Everything would be fine now.


End file.
